The Marauders: Year Two
by thejilyship
Summary: Well, they're back! And this time in their second year of Hogwarts. Come and read the troubles and toils of four 12 year old boys. See them through detention and tragedy, victory and loss. James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Lily of course, and their friends.
1. Chapter One: Late and Missing Passengers

**AN: Here it is. This is the second year of the Marauders' infamous journey through Hogwarts. And I will put it here: you needn't have read the first to get what's going on. The only thing that you ought to know is there was a girl named Carlee that was in their year and they are friends with her. She has a twin named Ella, and some older brothers that are mentioned in this chapter. Voldemort is starting to gather recruits, but nobody knows him by name yet, they just know that there are 'raids' going on. And in these raids, muggleborns and blood traitors are attacked and killed. It's all very vague on purpose. That's it… probably. If you have questions, new or not, I will be more then happy to answer them. :)**

**Hope you enjoy, I really liked writing this chapter. :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Late and Missing Passengers<strong>

The whistle blew loud and clear, signaling that the great steam engine train was going to leave in a few moments, and James Potter and Sirius Black were running down the platform, pushing their trolleys at top speed, trying desperately to make it to the back of the train before eleven. Because the train left at exactly eleven, and they were in danger of being late.

"This is your fault you know." Sirius shouted in James' direction, though his voice didn't sound angry, he actually sounded rather amused.

"My fault? If you had packed yesterday like my mum said to, we would have been here an hour ago." James said, not taking his eyes off the space ahead of him as he quickly dodged around a family that had come to see some student off. Unlike Sirius, he was actually a bit annoyed.

"Well I was ready to go on time." Sirius said smiling lopsidedly at James. "Then you had to go and get your broom. Your dad told you to pack that last week!"

"We weren't done playing with the brooms!" James shouted exasperated. "You did pack the extra one, right?"

"Yes, of course I did." Sirius said rolling his eyes. "I wasn't going to spend the whole school year broomless. I really don't know how we did it last year."

Charles and Liza Potter were running along behind the two boys. Charles Potter was carrying an owl that James had begged for while they had been out at Diagon Alley for school supplies, and Liza was carrying Sirius's new owl that he had said was given to him by his uncle. They had named the owls, Kevin and Karl after a pair of famous beaters from the Quidditch team, Falmouth Falcons. Sirius' owl had dark brown feathers and was almost twice the size as James' young tawny owl.

"Come on boys, hurry up. We have about 30 seconds to get all of this on the train and see you off." Charles said urging the boys forward. "Are you sure that your parents aren't going to want to see you off Sirius? You haven't seen them for a while." After spending half of the summer with Sirius, he still didn't quite grasp just how much Sirius and his parents didn't get along. Though, to his benefit, he hadn't seen much of Sirius's parents, or seen Sirius interact with them.

"Nah, they are probably gone by now anyway. They were just coming to drop off my brother."

"I completely forgot that your brother was coming this year!" James said. "We going to let him sit with us?" Sirius didn't answer.

The whistle blew again just as the boys reached the end of the train. Charles grabbed Sirius' trunk first and tossed it into the corridor of the train, and then grabbed James' while Liza was saying goodbye to the boys.

"Thank you for letting me stay over this summer Mrs. Potter." Sirius said politely.

"It was no problem at all Sirius. You are a pleasure to have." She said pulling him into a hug when he offered her his hand. James laughed at the oddity of Sirius being considered a pleasure to have as a house guest. Though he had been fairly polite when his parents were around. Then Liza turned to her son and pulled him into a hug. "I know there is no point, but do try and behave yourself."

"I love you mum." He said grinning up at her and ignoring her warning much as he had last year.

"I love you too." She said shaking her head. Charles turned around and pulled James into a hug as well.

"Just don't get yourself hurt, how about that?"

"I can definitely try to keep myself from getting hurt." James said nodding. "That's actually something that I strive for all the time." He added cheekily.

"Good. I'll see you at Christmas." Charles said pushing him into the train.

"Hey! It's like you're trying to get rid of me or something."

"Well, I miss the house being quiet." Charles said ruffling Sirius hair.

"We weren't that loud." Sirius laughed. "Bye Mr. Potter. Thanks for letting me stay over."

"No problem Sirius." Charles said extending his hand. "Now take your birds and get on the train before it leaves without you."

"Yes sir." Sirius grinned taking Karl and Kevin from Liza and jumping up onto the train. He set the birds down on top of the trunks and then joined James at the window to wave goodbye to the Potters.

"There you two are!" Remus sighed with relief as he stuck his head out of the compartment that he had been saving.

"Yeah, we are just going to wave to Mr. and Mrs. Potter, then we'll be in."

"Oh, Hey!" Remus said peeking out the window. The Potters waved back at him and smiled. Remus had come over about two weeks after the end of school and spent a week with the Potters. Sirius had been there as well. But he had also seen Mrs. Potter when she came and dropped James off at the Lupin's house.

The boys all waved until the train had left the station and then Remus helped Sirius and James move their trunks into the compartment.

"You both got owls?" He asked taking the cages off and setting them on the seats so that they could get the trunks up on the luggage rack.

"Yep, Kevin and Karl. You know, after the beaters on the Falmouth Falcons." Sirius said grinning happily at his bird.

"Actually I didn't know that, but cool." Remus said putting the birds up on the rack carefully.

"They don't play anymore, but they were a really amazing pair of beaters, and they were brothers." James added, plopping down on one of the seats by the window.

"Whose is whose?"

"Mine is the dark one, his name is Kevin."

"Mine is the other one." James said throwing an owl treat up to Karl, which he had pulled out of his pocket. They were quiet for a minute; James and Sirius letting their breathing slow down, when Sirius looked up suddenly and looked around the compartment.

"Where's Carlee?" He asked.

"I don't know, probably with Ella right?" James shrugged.

"Well, we haven't seen her or heard from her since Remus's house, and that was last month." Sirius said getting up and leaning out the door to see if she was in the hallway. "You think that she would come and see us."

"Maybe she likes her sister." James smirked at Sirius. "You know, more then she likes you."

"Shut up Potter. Of course she likes Ella more. It's her sister. I am just saying, she should at least come and say 'hi, sorry I ignored you all summer.'"

"She will when she gets here." Remus said pulling a book out of his bag and taking a seat next to James.

"And look, you can sit next to her when she does gets here." James smirked motioning to the two empty seats across from him.

"Just shut up."

"You two have spent too much time together." Remus said shaking his head.

"You were invited too." James said.

"I know, but my dad wanted to take us on a little holiday."

"And how did that go?" Sirius asked.

"Wonderfully." Remus said rolling his eyes. "I'll just give you the shortened version, yeah? We went camping in the woods, my mother got eaten alive by mosquitoes, and almost murdered my dad."

"Sounds like fun." James laughed. Remus had sent them rather long letters complaining about having to stay in a tent and eat things that his dad had tried to cook over the camp fire.

"Oh shut up." Remus said hitting James over the head with his book. It was then that they heard a knock at the door. Sirius jumped up and opened it, though Remus knew that if it was Carlee, she wouldn't have knocked.

"What do you want?" Sirius said darkly. James and Remus both looked at each other. Remus' mind jumped to Peter and James' to Regulus. Though James happened to be right.

"Nice to see you too." Said a similar sounding voice, though it was much lighter and pleasant. "I just wanted to come and see my brother. Can I come in for a minute?" Sirius stepped aside grudgingly. Regulus came in and smiled at James and Remus. He looked a lot like Sirius, just a few inches shorter, and his hair was shorter and straighter. He had the same grey eyes and long, thin face. His posture was different though. Sirius slouched and gave off the feeling of somebody who couldn't care less. Regulus held himself with great pose and looked like somebody who was indefinitely proud of himself. He looked quite like he thought he owned the place. James instantly thought he was a git.

"Well, you're in. Now what?" Sirius grouched, plopping down in the window seat a crossed from James.

"Hi, I am Regulus Black. Sirius' brother."

"It's nice to meet you." Remus said accepting Regulus' outstretched hand. "Remus Lupin."

"Nice to meet you too."

"James Potter." James said also shaking Regulus' hand. Regulus looked around the room again and then sat down next to Sirius, who made a sort of a growling sound and sent a glare at him.

"Well, I haven't seen you in two weeks!" Regulus said elbowing Sirius in the ribs.

"We are saving that seat for somebody." Sirius said pushing his arm away.

"Carlee, right?" Regulus asked, causing Sirius to roll his eyes.

"He's told you about Carlee?" James asked leaning forward in his seat, his first impression of the boys changing as he spoke. "Weird. Did he mention us too?"

"Well, yeah." Regulus said, but then he caught on to what James was doing and smirked, making him look even more like his older brother. "But not as much as he mentioned her." Remus and James both started laughing as Sirius jumped Regulus.

"I don't know why you don't like him." James said still laughing after Sirius had sat back down. "I think that he is pretty cool."

"Yeah, he is." Remus agreed.

"Well, thanks guys." Regulus said smiling at his older brothers friends.

"Oh fine." Sirius sighed. "You can stay until Carlee gets here."

"Thank you." Regulus said.

"It should be any moment now." Sirius warned, but Regulus wasn't deterred.

"That's fine. I'm a first year Sirius; you are the only person I know right now."

"I know." Sirius sighed. "Well, you know Cissy." Regulus only rolled his eyes at this. After a moment Sirius relaxed and started smiling again. "How was your last week at home?" Sirius asked Regulus.

"Fine." Regulus said slowly. "Mum did threaten me a few times. Said something about my being disowned if I was put in Gryffindor. I don't know, she wasn't talking loud enough." He said sarcastically. Sirius looked at him with wide eyes.

"Really? Mum threatened to disown you?"

"Yep." Regulus laughed. "Though, I really have no say in where I am put, right? So she can't really disown me. She didn't disown you."

"It would look bad, me being the firstborn, the heir, and what not. But it would look just as bad if she disowned you." Sirius assured him. "Besides, she _likes_ you."

"Yeah, you're right." Regulus said frowning slightly.

"Oh come on. You don't really think that she would disown you, do you?"

"No, but did you hear what happened to Drommie?" Regulus asked completely oblivious to the fact that James and Remus were hanging on every word. They didn't really know anything about Sirius' family life. Seeing him here, talking to his brother was sort of surreal.

"What?" Sirius asked looking concerned.

"She married a _muggleborn_." Regulus said the word as though he was talking about finding chewed gum on the bottom of his shoe.

"And?" Sirius asked.

"A _muggleborn_ Sirius!" Regulus repeated himself, thinking that Sirius hadn't heard him the first time. "Uncle Cygnus _did_ disown her."

"Well, she didn't really fit in anyway, you know, with her being decent and what not. And if she is happy with this muggleborn, why shouldn't she have married him?" Regulus just stared at him with his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Because, she is a pure blood." He said, currently thinking that his older brother must have lost his mind while he was at the Potter's.

"Blood doesn't matter." Sirius sighed with an exasperated tone that told Remus and James that Regulus and Sirius had had this argument before, many times.

"I know it doesn't. Only to our 'sodding family' and other 'stupid stuck up pure bloods.'" Regulus said rolling his eyes as he recited something that sounded as though it had come from Sirius' mouth.

"And I already knew this anyway. Drommie sent me a letter. His name is Ted Tonks and they are expecting a baby." Sirius said, looking as though he enjoyed the look of shock that came over Regulus' face.

"She told you all of that?"

"Yes, she married him at the end of May. Though, she didn't tell me until about a month ago."

"So… you really don't find anything wrong with it?" Regulus said, looking at his brother skeptically.

"Nope. Not at all." Sirius smirked.

"Okay." Regulus said looking down at his feet. "I guess it's alright. I mean, she loves him right?"

"Yep."

There was a pause in the conversation, and Sirius turned to look out the window. Regulus looked up at Remus and James and smiled. James smiled back.

"So, you are hoping to be in Slytherins then?" He asked.

"I think so." Regulus said. "I mean, I think it would be fun to be in the same house as Sirius, but… that's not what my parents want."

"I feel like I had this conversation with you last year." James said kicking Sirius leg. Sirius looked at him and nodded.

"Something pretty similar." Sirius agreed. "Then you told me that we were going to have to swim a crossed the lake to get to the school."

"I did not!" James cried indignantly.

"You did." Remus smirked.

"That was you!" James said pointing at Remus.

"Oh." Remus said, and then he shrugged. "Well, then it was me."

"You guys are quite entertaining." Regulus said grinning.

"Yeah, you won't find blokes as cool as us in Slytherin." James said puffing out his chest.

"Speaking of blokes in Slytherin, Alec Baker won't be here any more!" Sirius said cheerfully. "And neither will our lovely cousin Bella." He said looking over at Regulus. "She is one creepy chick. Even you can't deny that."

"I won't deny that." Regulus said shivering. "She used to give me nightmares. I would wake up thinking that she was about to jump out of my closet and start strangling me to death." Sirius laughed.

"I used to have nightmares of her pushing me down the stairs." He said.

"You guys have a real nice family." James laughed.

"We know." They said together.

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><p>"Okay, it's been like two hours." Sirius said standing up and looking out into the hallway again. Regulus was still with them, and Carlee was no where to be seen.<p>

"Go and look for her." Regulus suggested. "There aren't many places where she could be, right?"

"Yeah, you want me to come with you?" James asked, he was honestly quite surprised that Sirius had lasted as long as he had.

"No, I'll go." Sirius said. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Okay."

He closed the door behind him and walked down the hall, looking in the compartments as he went. The Smith brothers, Richard and Josiah, were in the compartment next to theirs, with Seth Stein, the seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and a couple of girls that Sirius didn't know by name.

In the next compartment, he spotted Cleo Downing, a Gryffindor chaser, with Marlene McKinnon, who was showing off her Head Girl badge, and a few other members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Including the captain, Emery Brown.

He passed several other compartments full of students who were in different houses and the houseless first years. He was almost at the front of the train when he spotted his fellow second year Gryffindor boys in an overly crowded compartment. Carl, Ian, Stephan, Frank, and Orian were crammed onto a three person couch and they were joined by some second year Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs. Sirius spotted Harvey Cliford, a boy whom he had played baseball with last year and Eustace Green, the boy who had lost his mother during one of the attacks last Christmas. Both of them were in Hufflepuff and in the compartment with his fellow dorm mates.

When he reached the last compartment, which was really the first compartment, he wasn't surprised to find it full of the second year Gryffindor girls. Lily Evans was laughing and leaning on an also laughing, Coral Green. Savanna House was standing in the middle of the compartment gesticulating widely and seemed to be the cause of all the laughter.

Sirius scanned the remaining girls and saw, Mary MacDonald, Jamie Parks, Yvette St. Richardson, Airiana Kaye, Beonca Deutch, and Delilla O'Brian. But there was no Carlee.

Sirius knocked on the compartment door and Mary, who was the closest, opened it and raised her eyebrows when she saw who it was. "What do you want?" She asked.

"I was just wondering if you know where Carlee is." Sirius said, not really minding Mary's rude remark.

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked, standing up and taking Mary's place at the door. "She's with you isn't she?"

"Yes Lily." Sirius said rolling his eyes. "That is why I just walked the length of the train looking for you. So I could tell you that Carlee is with me."

"Well, then where is she?" Lily asked.

"I don't know!" Sirius shouted. "That is why I came down here. To see if you knew where she was."

"I don't." Lily said worriedly.

"I can see that, thank you." Sirius sighed and then he turned to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Lily asked.

"To find her."

"Have you seen Ella?" Savanna asked, sticking her head out the door and calling after him.

"No." Sirius said turning back around. "None of you have seen either of them?"

"Nope."

Sirius walked away from them before anyone could stop him and he started looking in the widows of the compartments again.

He made it back to the end of the train without spotting Carlee when he almost ran into Daniel Baker, Carlee and Ella's older brother. He shoved Sirius out of the way without looking at him and Sirius had to run to catch up with him.

"Hey! Daniel!"

"What!" He shouted turning back around. "What do you want?" He added, noting who it was that was talking to him.

"Where's Carlee?" Sirius asked. Daniel looked at Sirius for a second with squinted eyes and then took a step closer to him. Sirius hastily took two steps back. Alec had always been the scarier of Carlee's older brothers, but something about Daniel had changed. His eyes were harder and unforgiving. He looked thinner, and really, _really_ angry.

"What do you care?" He asked slowly, though as he spoke, some emotion danced a crossed his eyes, leaving before Sirius could tell what it was.

"She's my friend." Sirius said trying to sound brave. Daniel turned around and started walking away again. "Wait, just tell me where she is." Sirius said reaching out and putting a hand on his shoulder. Before he knew what had happened, Daniel spun around and punched him right in the face. Sirius fell backward on to the floor and banged his head on a compartment door.

"JUST SHUT UP!" He shouted before storming away. This time Sirius let him go.

The door that Sirius was leaning on opened suddenly, and Sirius' head fell and hit the floor again. "Oww!" He moaned rolling over on his stomach so he could push himself up.

"What happened to you?" Richard said smiling over him. Josiah's face popped up next to Richards.

"You look a right state."

"Thanks a load you two." Sirius said standing up. He swayed a bit, but Richard reached out and steadied him. "Thanks, for real this time."

"No problem." Richard smiled. "Now really, what happened?"

"Daniel Baker punched me." Sirius felt his jaw throbbing as he spoke.

"Really? And just when I was starting to think that he was nothing but talk." Josiah mused. "Are you coming in then?" He asked Sirius.

"Thanks, but my mates are right next door. I was just looking for Carlee. You haven't seen her have you?"

"Can't say that I have, but she's got to be somewhere." Richard said.

"I guess." Sirius said. "Maybe she missed the train."

"Her brother just punched you." Josiah pointed out. It did make sense, why would her brother have been on the train if _she _had missed it? "Maybe you just missed her. Did you check the whole train?"

"Twice." Sirius nodded. "See you around."

"Yep." They said together.

"Well?" James asked when Sirius came back into the compartment.

"What do you think?" Sirius said motioning to thin air around him. "Though I did have a bit of a run in with Daniel on my way back from the front of the train."

"I can see that." Remus said noticing the large bruise that was starting to make itself visible on Sirius' face. "Did he hit you?"

"Yeah. I just asked him where Carlee was."

"Who is Daniel?" Regulus asked.

"A Slytherin." Sirius spit out. "And Carlee's older brother." Regulus nodded. "And Lily and Savanna said that Ella is missing too." Sirius added looking back at James and Remus.

"Weird." James said running his hand through his hair.

"Really, that's what you have to say?" Sirius asked sitting back down next to Regulus with an exasperated sigh.

"She'll turn up." James shrugged, not looking nearly as worried as Sirius was.

"I know that. I just want to know where she is." Sirius muttered.

"Let's play exploding snaps." Remus suggested suddenly. He wasn't worried about Carlee. He knew that where ever she was, she was fine. After all, she was Carlee.

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><p><strong>AN: And we start things off with a bang. Carlee and Ella are missing, Daniel is acting strangely and Regulus is hanging out with Gryffindors. What? I really want to make him a good guy, but I won't. He is a death eater and a Slytherin and I won't change that. Even though he does redeem himself before he dies, he still travels down the wrong path in the beginning. And I will not change this. I promise. Maybe if I say it to you guys, I'll actually listen. Though, he does idolize Sirius just a wee bit. That will all have to change eventually.<strong>

**Just a fun fact, Kevin and Karl, Sirius and James' owls, really are named after two real(in the HP universe anyway) Quidditch players. Their names were Kevin and Karl (imagine that!) Broadmoor, and were beaters for the Falmouth Falcons. I wanted a cool due for their birds, but I couldn't find one in the muggle world, so I went to Harry Potter Lexicon and found them. It works. :)**

**Tell me what you think, ask questions, or tell me what you think is going to happen. I don't really care what you say, I would just like you to review. It's like walking outside and finding a dollar on the sidewalk, only... you can't buy anything with a review… :D**

**~Craz**


	2. Chapter Two: A Dark Beginning

**AN: Fair warning, there are a lot of interruptions in this chapter, people opening and knocking on doors, or making loud noises in general. I don't know why, but it just worked out that way. I hope you enjoy it anyway, even though this is a relatively dark chapter.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: A Dark Beginning<strong>

The sun was sinking by the time they all reached Hogsmeade. After the train came to a complete stop, Regulus said his goodbyes and then ran off towards the compartment that he had left his trunk in. The boys grabbed hold of their own trunks and pulled them out onto the Hogsmeade platform, Sirius and James also carrying their owls' cages.

"Firs' Years come alon' please! We haven' got all day!" Hagrid called from the front of the train, he was waving a big old lantern around his massive head and earning himself many frightened looks from the first years. James laughed as the new students caught sight of the giant man for the first time.

"Did we look like that?" Remus said, laughing softly as he sidestepped a few gaping boys.

"Yep." Sirius said sadly. "We looked just as stupid."

"I would wager that you looked a bit more stupid." Richard said as he jumped off the train. "But that's just because you are, well you."

"Thanks Rich." Sirius laughed.

"Anytime." The older student winked.

Sirius, James, and Remus added their luggage to the ever-growing mound at the edge of the platform, and then followed the older students in the opposite direction that the first years were headed. James looked round curiously for their transportation, but couldn't see over the mass of people in front of him.

"Four to a carriage." They heard a teacher call out. And that is when they took notice to the carriages. They would pull up to the students, four would get in, and then they would pull away towards the castle. But the odd thing was that nothing seemed to be pulling the carriages. There was nothing but an empty space in front of them.

"Wicked." Sirius said aloud. "Carlee's going to be upset that she missed this."

"Most definitely." James agreed as he pushed Sirius out of the way so that he could be the first one on the carriage. Remus rolled his eyes and waited until Sirius was in before even trying to get in.

When they got to the castle, they bounded up the stone steps like they had so many times before and moved with the crowd towards the Great Hall. The first thing that Remus noticed when they reached the Gryffindor table was that Dumbledore was not sitting up in his usual place. He looked over at James who also seemed to have noticed.

"Where do you think he is?" James asked.

"I don't know. He can't miss the sorting, can he?"

"Well, technically, he can do whatever he wants." Sirius said. "Including starve us to death apparently." Sirius said looking up and down the empty table. "When are we going to eat?"

"After the sorting. Now stop acting like you didn't know that." James sighed but smiled nonetheless.

The second thing that Remus noticed was the new teacher who was sitting in Professor Perkins old seat. This professor looked quite a bit more sinister than Perkins had. Though, truth be told, the tooth fairy would have looked more sinister than Perkins. She had been their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher last year and had stood at just over five feet and had a face that made her look more like a student then a teacher. After her brother had been kidnapped by the raiders last year she had been terribly distraught and, evidently, had resigned from her post at the end of the year.

Remus nudged James' side and motioned up to the new teacher. "What do you make of him?" Remus asked still looking up at the older wizard. He had a fairly long beard that was the color of charred wood and it was beginning to turn gray, so it was peppered with lighter specks of grays and whites. He had large round glasses that covered half of his face. They started just under his thick, dark eyebrows and came all the way down to the middle of his cheeks. His nose was big and red, and his eyes dark and amber colored.

"Much more Defense teacher-ish looking then Perkins, though I will miss those cute little songs that she sang." Perkins had sung to the students at the beginning of last year to help them remember the history behind the spells they had learned. It had been a very effective and amusing tactic.

"I concur." Sirius said. He was also looking up at the new teacher. Actually, many of the students were looking up at the tall, bearded professor.

"Yeah, he looks a bit… harsh." Remus said, not sure if he had chosen the right word to describe the new teacher.

"Bitter more like it." James said nodding.

"I was going to say boring, but whatever." Sirius said tapping his fingers on the table impatiently.

"He does NOT look boring." Remus said raising his brows. "That much is quite clear."

"Alright, maybe he looks like he is actually going to make us do stuff in class." Sirius allowed.

Just then, a side door behind the staff table opened up and Dumbledore came walking in. He looked much like he did the day they all had come back from the Christmas break last year. Remus started shaking a bit. The last time Dumbledore had looked like this, he had told everyone that a student had died.

"No." James said shaking his head, also drawing the comparison from the beginning of last term. "I have been reading the paper this summer, just ask Sirius. He made fun of me for it. There has been nothing, not one blasted thing, all summer. No attacks, no murders, not even a suspicious theft."

"What are you going on about?" Sirius asked, then, catching Remus's eye, he looked up and saw Dumbledore, who was now pacing back and forth behind the teachers. "Carlee isn't here." He said quietly. James shook his head again quite uselessly.

The Great Hall was then flooded with the first years who came in looking all the same. Shocked, a bit scared, and completely awed. But Sirius couldn't laugh at them now. Dumbledore hadn't even looked up at the sound of their entry. Something had happened.

McGonagall stopped in front of the staff table and began to prattle off what was about to happen to the group of nervous new students and then pulled out the sorting hat. The song it sang was lost to a large majority of the students in the hall who had all become aware of Dumbledore's pacing.

"Professor Dumbledore please!" McGonagall called, snapping the headmaster out of his trance. He looked around the room and saw that everybody was focused on him before smiling apologetically and sitting down in his chair. "Now, as I was saying. Black, Regulus."

Sirius had been zoned out for so long that he almost missed his brother being sorted.

The hat was placed upon Regulus's head, and instead of instantly calling out Slytherin, like it had tried to do for Sirius, it seemed to have to think about Regulus. Sirius wished that he could hear what the hat was saying. The seconds ticked by, and everyone was silently waiting for the hat to make its decision. It normally did not take this long. Dumbledore was looking down at the eleven year old boy with great interest.

"SLYTHERIN!" The hat finally yelled. Sirius moaned slightly but then he noticed that Regulus was looking at him. He looked sort of worried. Sirius stood up and started to cheer along with the Slytherin table. James and Remus did so as well; none of them paid any attention to their housemates, who were looking at them strangely. Cheering for a Slytherin wasn't exactly commonplace amongst the Gryffindors. Regulus, who didn't notice the looks either, beamed at them before bounding down the stairs and joining the Slytherins. After Sirius had sat back down he noticed that Dumbledore was smiling sadly at him. Sirius wanted to scream. Where was Carlee? What had happened to her? Why was Dumbledore looking at him like that? He settled for banging his fist on the table instead.

After all the sorting was done, Sirius, Remus, and James were so wound up that they hadn't even been able to cheer for the last four first years who had been placed in Gryffindor. Then, finally, Dumbledore stood up at the owl podium and its wings spread out. The hall fell silent more quickly then it had last year and the students all looked up at the old wizard with worry etched in their faces.

"Hello and welcome to yet another year at Hogwarts." Dumbledore started off his speech in the traditional way, only looking slightly graver then usual. "I am very glad to see you all here. I would like to take this time to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Professor Seresin!" A few students clapped half heartedly as Professor Seresin stood and nodded at them. He didn't look at all put out by the lack of response, he seemed to have sensed that something was wrong as well. Dumbledore paused for a moment after the clapping had stopped and looked over the sea of faces.

"Now, I was debating over whether or not I should let you eat first, but judging by the looks on some of your faces, I think that now is the time to tell you. Though, this may not be the right time to tell you. But then, with these things there really is no right time, or right way." There was a crash at the Slytherin table and everybody looked over just in time to see Daniel Baker run from the Great Hall, leaving a bench overturned and some disgruntled students on the floor. Dumbledore did nothing to stop him and only sighed. Remus made a strangled noise and grabbed Sirius's arm. Sirius couldn't look at him. "You may have noticed that there are some students missing. Dylan Baker, who would be a fifth year Ravenclaw and Ella Baker, a second year Gryffindor." The boys didn't know whether they should be relived that he didn't say Carlee's name, or horrified. Either way, they were still all holding their breath.

"Dylan and Ella were both-" There was a cry from the front of the Gryffindor table. James looked down and saw Savanna and Mary hugging each other and Lily staring off into space, looking shocked. He couldn't see Coral but he knew that she was probably crying. "Both students died in a horrible accident." Dumbledore said quietly, watching the girls comfort each other. James looked over at Sirius and saw that he was shaking, Remus was still holding his arm, and looking frantically from Dumbledore to the girls.

"Where is Carlee?" James asked standing up, not being able to take it anymore.

"She is safe James." Dumbledore said softly. "She told me that she wished to take a break from Hogwarts. We can talk later if you would like." James nodded dumbly and looked over at Sirius who now had his head on the table and Remus who looked somewhat relieved. Dumbledore went on but the boys didn't hear much else of his speech.

* * *

><p>After the rather subdued feast, Dumbledore came and collected the boys and took them to his office.<p>

"What happened?" Sirius asked as soon as the oak door was closed behind them.

"I don't know. Nobody would tell me." Dumbledore sighed and conjured up three chairs for the boys to sit on, before taking a seat behind his desk. James and Remus complied, but Sirius started pacing back and forth.

"What do you mean you don't know? Ella and Dylan are dead and nobody has a clue what happened?"

"I didn't say that nobody has a clue. I only said that I didn't know what happened." Dumbledore said quietly.

"Well, how do you know that Carlee is safe?" Sirius asked.

"She told me." There was a pause and James and Remus looked at each other. Sirius had stopped pacing as well.

"She lies." Remus said quietly, having decided before James and Sirius that Dumbledore needed to know the truth, whether Carlee would have liked him to or not. "She leaves things out and she is evasive. Just because she says she's safe- She lies." He repeated quietly.

"I am aware of that." Dumbledore said. "But everybody lies, do they not?" He looked over the top of his half moon spectacles and smiled at Remus.

"We know." James said. "We figured it out last year." Dumbledore seemed a bit shocked by this pronouncement. "Remus is a werewolf." Dumbledore smiled at this.

"I knew that you would work it out eventually. I am glad that you boys were able to overlook that. Many great wizards have fallen to awful prejudices. You would have missed out on a truly remarkable friend."

"Yeah, we know." James said looking over at Remus, and smiling.

"We are here for Carlee, what _do_ you know?" Remus asked, looking at the floor whilst trying to divert the attention from him.

"I know that Ella, Daniel and their father were murdered and that Carlee saw it happen and is not saying who it was that killed them."

"Carlee wouldn't just not talk." Sirius said shaking his head. "Do you think it was the same people who were wreaking havoc last year? The raiders?"

"I have no way of knowing for certain." Dumbledore answered quite evasively.

"When is she coming back?" Remus asked. Dumbledore looked between the three faces and frowned.

"I don't think she will be coming back any time in the near future."

"She has to." Sirius said, taking a step towards the headmaster's desk, his voice much quieter. "Let us talk to her, we can get her to come back-" But Dumbledore interrupted him, before he could say anything more.

"Now, I do not wish to make you feel any more upset but what would you say to a girl who just lost a significant part of her family?"

"She didn't like her family anyway." Sirius muttered.

"She liked her dad and Ella." James said. "You saw her dad, everybody liked him. Why would anybody kill him?"

"I don't know! Why would anybody kill two children?" Remus added.

"Ella was murdered in front of Carlee?" Sirius said, it seemed to have finally sunk in. "That is going to destroy her." He grabbed fistfuls of his hair and spun around so that he was facing the wall. "We have to go talk to her, she needs us right now!"

"I cannot send three students to a different country, Sirius. Surely you can understand that." Dumbledore said gently.

"_Surely_ you can understand that I am not going to just stay here while one of my _best_ friends is hurt and alone." Sirius shouted at the older man. Dumbledore just smiled at him.

"You are a very good friend."

"No I am not. If I was a good friend, I would have realized that something was wrong when she didn't answer any of my letters for the last two weeks." Sirius said bitterly. "I sent four of them! She didn't respond to any of them. She always wrote back. I should have asked my dad to take me over there or something."

"And done what once you were there?" Dumbledore asked.

"I don't know. Talked to her!" Sirius said.

"She still has Chris, she isn't alone." Remus said suddenly. "She does still have Chris, correct?"

"Yes, to my understanding, he is completely unharmed."

"You didn't say that about Carlee." James said, snapping his head around to the headmaster.

"She was slightly injured but she is fine now." He replied carefully.

Sirius looked like he was about to explode. "Were you going to keep this from us?"

Dumbledore was saved from having to answer this question by a knock on the door. "Come in." He said airily.

Professor McGonagall came in and looked the boys over, a soft look on her face. "I hope you don't mind but the girls had some questions as well and I found myself with no answers to give them."

"Well he hasn't got much either." Sirius huffed.

Dumbledore ignored this comment and nodded at McGonagall who stepped out of the doorway and let Mary, Lily, Savanna and Coral enter the room. They all looked like zombies and Remus couldn't blame them. He hadn't been close to Ella, he had only talked to her a couple of times when Carlee had insisted on her eating with them, or when the boys had come up to take her away from the girls. He didn't really know how he felt about her death. It was upsetting but not for the same reasons that it was upsetting to the girls.

Savanna and Mary were still crying but Coral looked as though she had just finished, though her cheeks were still stained with tears and her eyes slightly puffy. Lily still looked in shock. James stood up and went over to stand by Sirius so that one of the girls could have his chair, Remus did the same.

"We're going to go now." James said, as Mary let out a rather loud wail. He felt bad for her but he was at a loss when it came to crying girls. Remus and Sirius were suddenly feeling the same way and neither of them protested when James moved towards the door.

"If you want to talk again, my door is always open." Dumbledore offered. "The password is licorice wand for the time being."

"Thank you sir." Remus said as he and his friends stepped onto the spiraling staircase. Soon the Headmaster's study was no longer visible and they were spinning down. When they exited the staircase, none of them seemed to have anything to say to each other. It was James who finally broke the silence.

"I suppose that explains why Daniel was acting so… hostile." He sighed. "Dylan was his twin."

"Carlee liked Dylan." Sirius said. "He was a Ravenclaw; he was different than Daniel and Alec."

"Doesn't mean that Daniel didn't like him too." Remus said.

"I know." Sirius muttered kicking at the air. "What are we going to do?"

"I haven't a clue." James sighed.

* * *

><p>They were, of course, bombarded with questions when they got into the common room. The first few students that attempted to question them were flicked off by Sirius and simply ignored by Remus and James.<p>

Cleo Downing, Emery Brown and Marlene McKinnon, all now seventh years, were waiting for them on a couch in front of the fireplace.

"Well, we were really waiting for the girls to get back but do you lot know what happened?" Marlene asked bluntly. Cleo elbowed her in the ribs and sighed.

"Marlene!" She muttered under her breath and then smiling sadly at the boys. Sirius started to grind his teeth together, trying very hard not to snap at the new Head Girl and Gryffindor Chaser.

"Well, Dumbledore really didn't say anything at the feast." Emery explained, only looking slightly abashed by Marlene's behavior.

"Yeah, we know what happened." Sirius said scathingly. "Three people were murdered and Carlee isn't here." Then he turned and marched up the stairs. James and Remus didn't bother apologizing for his behavior and followed him. James knew perfectly well that his fellow second years would be sitting on their beds, waiting for them to get there so they could ask them more unwelcome questions. He really just wanted to curl up in his covers and ignore them all.

And when they walked into the dorm, it was just how James had thought it was going to be. But slightly different. His bed was directly in front of them against the back wall, with Sirius's to the right and Remus's to the left but Peter was sitting on the bed in front of Sirius's instead of the one in front of Remus's. Frank was now sitting on the bed next to Remus's. They had switched beds. Sirius seemed to have noticed this too because he made a growling noise in the back of this throat, and stormed over to his bed, flung open his trunk, pulled out half of the neatly packed robes and books, grabbed his night things, and then stomped off towards the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. James just put an arm around Remus and pulled the shock stricken boy towards the other side of the room.

"Don't worry about it. It doesn't matter. Peter is a git." James said quietly when they had reached their beds. Thanks to Sirius's show of anger, the other boys didn't ask them anything. They were definitely waiting to do so but they seemed to sense that now wasn't the right time. They slowly started talking amongst themselves again, only now they were talking in hushed tones.

Remus sat down on the edge of his bed and looked at his feet. Peter switching beds was just the cherry on top of this dreadful day. He barely noticed as James dropped to the floor and started pulling random objects out of his trunk and tossing them on the floor, only adding to the pile that Sirius had emptied from his trunk.

"What are you doing?" Remus asked, wondering what on earth James could be searching for at the moment.

"I'm looking for some parchment. We are going to write to Carlee." He said, finding a quill, a new bottle of ink and putting it on the floor next to him. After more then half of his trunk was emptied, he found some parchment, grabbed a piece and the ink and quill, stood up and plopped down next to Remus.

"What exactly do we say?" Remus said. He sounded defeated, something that Remus Lupin _never_ sounded. James cocked his head to the side and scrunched up his nose. Then he sighed and got up, put the parchment back into his trunk, stuffed everything else back, grabbed his pajamas, changed, and got into bed without saying anything.

After a few minutes, Remus got up and did the same. They were both pretending to be asleep by the time Sirius got out of the bathroom and got into bed himself.

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><p><strong>AN: And there is that… Sort of depressing. Let me know what you think regardless. Reviews are like sunshine on my cloudy, rainysnowy, cold, bitter day!**


	3. Chapter Three: A Welcoming Present

**AN: I am here to tell you that this is chapter three. I put Lily in here, and there is some definite James and Lily tension in this chapter. The whole Carlee and Ella situation gave me something to make them fight over, which I needed since they are supposed to fall in love and I don't like making them fight. I am going to make excuses for Lily right now, her friend just died, but I don't know what I am going to do once James starts, you know, being James. So we have to cut her some slack, for now. Just a warning I suppose. Hope you enjoy. :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three: A Welcoming Present and a Talk<strong>

At the start of term the boys were uncharacteristically quiet. They followed the rules, they didn't sneak around after hours and they didn't even get detention. Some of their teachers were starting to fall under the deluded conjecture that James Potter and Sirius Black had turned over a new leaf and were going to behave themselves this year. Only McGonagall seemed to know that they were just troubled because they were missing Carlee. McGonagall had even tried to talk to them about it.

"She will come back when she is ready." McGonagall said after class one day. She had asked the three of them to remain behind. "She just needs some time."

"She needs to be around people who care about her." Sirius muttered.

"She is with her family." McGonagall assured him.

"What's your point?" Sirius said harshly. Remus put a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down and Sirius just sighed. "I just wish that there was something that I could do."

"We all feel that way when somebody close to us loses somebody." McGonagall said quietly. She looked calm and genuinely upset. It was weird for the boys to see her like this. James had started to think that her eyebrows were stuck in that 'v' shape that they had always been in when she was looking at him, but now her face looked almost soft and motherly. "If there is anything that I can do for you boys, be sure to let me know."

"Well," Sirius said, a smirk that nobody had seen in the last week slipping onto his face. "If, you know, you didn't give us any homework, I think that would help." James nodded, trying not to laugh.

"Alright, I think we are finished." McGonagall said shaking her head. "Run along."

"Thank you Professor." Remus said politely before turning and following Sirius and James out of the door.

"That's alright." She said to her empty classroom. Remus had realized last year that McGonagall knew about his being a werewolf but he didn't know that she had had some trouble with it. He didn't know that she had had nightmares of monsters attacking her students for weeks after she found out. Because, no matter what she was feeling towards the boy, she trusted Dumbledore to keep the students safe.

However, after that small exchange between her and Remus, she thought it almost silly that she thought that he would ever hurt anybody. His friends may be the two biggest troublemakers that Hogwarts had ever seen but he wasn't exactly like them. He was a good boy.

Outside the Transfigurations classroom, Sirius and James had grown slightly more somber. The joke with McGonagall had worn off, and the sense of loss had fallen upon them again. Remus sighed. The full moon was in three days and, if he didn't cheer up a bit by then, he was going to be in for one hell of a night.

He missed Carlee a lot. She was one of his best friends. The first to realize what he was, she didn't desert him, introduced him to her brother and told him that chocolate helped with the pain. She had helped him a lot last year when the boys had found out that Remus was a werewolf and Remus thought that they had deserted him and, even before that, when he was still lying to them about where he went every month. He knew that if she hadn't been there last year, things would have been a lot more difficult for him.

But he really didn't want to be stuck in the hospital all of next week either. So that is what drove him to do what he did next.

"You know, people are going to start thinking that we are no fun any more." He started, looking sideways at James and Sirius. The latter of the two gave a humorless laugh and shrugged. "They are going to think that we have lost our touch." He added, hoping that it would spark something.

"You know, I did hear Marlene saying how thankful she was that we had decided to behave this year." James said ruefully.

"When did we decide this?" Sirius asked raising his eyebrows. James just shook his head.

"We have been so caught up in this whole Carlee thing that we have forgotten to give a proper welcome to our new Head Girl."

"Well that was rude of us." Sirius agreed. Remus smiled when he saw the wheels start turning in his head. Sirius was onto something. Remus could see it. He would not be surprised if he had been coming up with a list of things to do this year all summer, or, continued to make a list of things to do this year. They had started one at Remus' house, when all four of them were together.

"It should be something original." James said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Something that we haven't done before."

"Okay, so we can't dump water on anyone, trip them with invisible string or lure them out to attack us so that they will get a detention when a teacher walks by." Remus said ticking off their pranks from the last year. "Umm… spelling things out with rocks, that one failed, so I don't know if I should count it or not. Making loud noises on every other floor of the school at the same time is out as well."

"You forgot throwing things at the Slytherins during meals." James said, smirking.

"I don't think we should stop doing that." Sirius leered.

"Well, you're right. I can't believe that I just suggested such a thing." James said looking horrified. Sirius laughed and shook his head.

"I think we should do something in the Gryffindor common room." Remus said, surprising Sirius, James and himself as he spoke up. He was not usually one of the masterminds when it came to pranks. "You know, since it's for Marlene."

"Have you got anything in mind?" James asked with an amused look on his face.

"Well, not really."

"I like that though. We should do something to our fellow housemates." James laughed. "We don't want them to think that they are safe because of which house they are in."

"Of course not." Sirius agreed.

And the planning began. They were well aware that there was a voice missing but Remus's plan to distract them seemed to be working.

* * *

><p>Lily had been resolutely avoiding her roommates. She knew that it was wrong and a little heartless but she had a right to grieve how she wanted to, right? She could wander the halls by herself and avoid her friends if she wanted to. It kept her from crying, so that is what she did. For the first two weeks of school, she had only had a really short conversation with Coral, Savanna and Mary that had ended in two of them crying and Lily wanting to shout at them, which was why the conversation had been so short. She didn't want to yell at her friends. She just wanted her own space for a while.<p>

She knew the longer that she stayed away from them, the more awkward it was going to be when she finally did decide that she wanted to be in their company again.

She couldn't really explain how she was feeling even to herself. On the one hand, she was extremely upset. Who wouldn't be? Ella and her had become extremely close last year. They had had the beds right next to each other, sat next to each other in half of their lessons, ate all their meals together and studied together. In fact, Ella had been the only one who didn't berate Lily for her almost religious study habits. It was really… weird for her to just be absent all the time now. Lily kept expecting her to just come walking round the corner, smiling as though nothing was wrong.

And it was that that made Lily feel guilty. Well, there were two things that were making Lily feel guilty, but the first was that she was somewhat grateful that Carlee had decided not to come to school.

She felt awful about it. She knew that Carlee must be in much more pain than she was in, and she was a friend of Carlee's as well. She should want to be with her and try to comfort her but she really didn't think that she would be able to accept Ella's death if Carlee was walking around the corner all the time.

She still checked at every meal. Her eyes would slide up and down the Gryffindor table, pause at where James, Sirius and Remus were sitting, she would look for Carlee, note her absence and then have to remind herself that it was really happening. That it wasn't some nightmare.

The second reason that she felt guilty was because she felt as though she should have picked up on the fact that something had been wrong this summer. Lily hadn't seen Ella but they had been writing to each other an awful lot. Things that Ella had said in her letters had made Lily wonder what they could have meant. But Ella couldn't possibly have known that she was going to be _murdered_ could she? She couldn't have known who did it to her or that it was coming. Ella wouldn't have stayed somewhere where she was at risk. Carlee wouldn't have let her.

And with this thought, she felt another sting of guilt. She knew that Carlee must be blaming herself too. Even still, Lily couldn't even bring herself to write to her.

She had poured over Ella's letters, looking for clues, oddities, anything that would point to… something.

There were all of these cryptic sentences that Lily hadn't noticed the first time she had read them. But now that Ella was dead, they were confusing.

"_I hope that I will get to see you next year."_

It hadn't seemed weird at the time, but now that Lily was thinking about it, who would say that. 'I hope that I will get to?'

"_I am a little sick but don't worry, I will most likely recover."_

Lily had thought this was just a joke. And it very well might have been, Ella hadn't got sick and died, she had been _murdered._

The fact that these letters were full of these little statements was what had brought her to Dumbledore's office with a stack of the more 'important' letters in her arms. The last letter she had received was on top and she was debating whether or not she should shove it into her pocket. She didn't know if it was too personal or not. But she decided against it. Something had happened this summer that was being covered up.

There had been an article in the Prophet about an American wizard that worked for the American Ministry of Magic that had died suddenly about a week ago. It was Ella's dad that they were talking about, Tomas Baker. Why would they put that in the paper if it weren't true? And yet it wasn't true. Dumbledore had told them all that he had been murdered. Why were they covering that up?

She reached her hand up and knocked on the wooden door, having already passed the stone gargoyles. Dumbledore had given the second-year Gryffindor girls and boys the password to get into his office in case they wanted to talk more about what had happened.

"Come in." The headmaster's voice called out from the other side. She opened the door slowly and walked in. This was the second time that she had been in here but she hadn't been paying much attention to it the first time. She had been in shock, having just found out that her friend was dead. It was a very big office. The walls that surrounded Dumbledore's desk were full of portraits of older wizards, some were sleeping and some were looking at her with polite interest. She spotted a few familiar faces and realized that the portraits were of all the previous headmasters of Hogwarts.

"Ah, Miss. Evans!" Dumbledore said standing up and walking around to the front of his desk. "What can I help you with my dear?"

"I-" But she stopped and looked at the floor. She couldn't help but be a little nervous. Dumbledore could be angry with her for not coming forward sooner. He seemed to realize what this meeting was going to be about and smiled gently at Lily.

"This is about Ella isn't it?" He said, asking it so that it sounded both like a question and a statement. Lily didn't think that she needed to answer.

"Sir, I have noticed that some odd things have been happening."

"Yes?" He prompted, quite interested to know how much a twelve year old had noticed.

"I mean, the American Ministry sent out the story that Mr. Baker's death was just an accident, you told us that they were all murdered, and…" She only paused long enough to take a deep breath. Then she looked up at the headmaster. "Ella had been writing to me all summer." She said collecting the letters in one hand and holding them out to him. Dumbledore looked slightly surprised at this, but not angry. Lily sighed. "I know I should have shown you them sooner but I was confused. I mean, everything seemed to be happening so quickly." She explained as Dumbledore took the letters into his own hands. "And I just made myself re-read them this morning, and now that I know that she ended up… you know, it all seems cryptic and, I don't know. I just thought that you should look at them."

"Thank you Lily." Dumbledore said without looking at her. He walked around to the other side of his desk and put the papers in front of him. "Is that all?" Lily couldn't help but feel like he was inviting her to leave and she didn't really like that. Those letters were her private property and between her and Ella.

"Well, I am sorry that I don't have the other side of the conversation for you, if you have any questions, I can clarify." She said. "And it's the last letter that seems to be filled with the most riddles. I've gone through it and circled things. For myself of course, but… yes." She looked down at her toes again.

"Lily, are you alright?" Dumbledore asked. She didn't know what came over her but just then she had the sudden urge to yell at him, to walk over and take her letters back and storm out of the room. Anger must be how she dealt with grief, which would actually explain a lot that had happened the last two weeks.

"No." She opted out of the yelling and settled for a clipped response. "One of my best friends is dead. Somebody killed her, and _somebody_ is getting away with it. I am not okay." She heard muffled whispers from the portraits muttering words of disapproval to each other, but she didn't care. "I am going to go now." She said and then she left, taking extra care to make sure that she didn't slam the door on her way out. She didn't know what bothered her more, the fact that Dumbledore didn't try and reprimand her behavior or the fact that he looked sad as she left. Either way, by the time she got to the fifth floor, she was regretting her decision to give him the letters.

She rounded the corner and sighed as she spotted Carlee's friends coming towards her. Much to her annoyance, they seemed to be in a good mood too. James was smiling and whispering animatedly to Remus and Sirius. She didn't know what they were saying, but that didn't stop her temper from rising. Her friend was dead, their friend had stopped coming to school and they were walking around the school without a care in the world. How _dare _they, she thought, shooting a glare at all three of them.

She hadn't realized that she had stopped walking but the three boys came to a stop in front of her and James' smile had turned into a concerned frown. That only made her angrier. She felt her blood boil under her skin.

"Hey Lily." James said, waving at her slowly. He had noticed her clenched fists and locked jaw and almost decided to take a step away from her.

"It's nice to see you three all smiles." Lily said, looking at the wall behind them rather than directly at them.

"Right." Sirius said letting out a humorless laugh.

"It could have just as easily have been Carlee." Lily said through her teeth. Sirius looked up and glared at her, Remus flinched and James sighed.

"You don't think that we don't know that?" He said quietly.

"Oh don't let me ruin your moods. It wasn't Carlee, so why would you people care?" Lily didn't know what was making her say this. They didn't know Ella very well. They might have talked to her three of four times in passing. Why would they need more then two weeks to get over a girl they hadn't known? But why couldn't they at least be somber for Carlee's sake?

"Because it was her sister!" Sirius said dangerously taking a step closer to Lily. James put his arm out so he couldn't get any closer. Remus put a hand on his shoulder.

"So?" Lily stomped her foot. "You're all selfish prats." With that, she spun around on her heel and ran up the stairs. She knew by the time she got up them that she was unjustifiable rude to them but she didn't care enough to turn around and apologize. The whole thing had started only because James had smiled.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so Lily and Ella were close so I had to put in a grieving scene. Plus, Lily can't be perfect. Some people have her being this flawless person in their stories. And honestly, I don't know how she could be flawless. She has Petunia as a sister, her best friend was Severus Snape, and she ends up with James. She has to have some flaws right? I know that she was a really nice person, but Harry had to get his temper from somewhere. Besides, in this chapter at least, she can blame her temper on the fact that she is distressed. Hope you liked this depressing chapter. Tell me what you thought. You know, in a review… :D<strong>

**~Craz**


	4. Chapter Four: Alarm Clocks and the HG

**An: Okay, so we will start off with a little bit of Lily, and then move to the boys. I really want to work their nickname in soon. I am getting tired of calling them 'the boys' and what not. I actually called them 'the gang' in this chapter. (cringes) I need to be able to call them the Marauders. It sounds better! It's getting bad; I need to fit it in. Well, enjoy the chapter. :D**

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><p><strong> Chapter Four: Alarm Clocks and the Head Girl<strong>

Lily didn't stop fuming anytime soon. She was still muttering under her breath as she ran into her best friend Severus Snape. Literally, she ran into him. She was rounding a corner on the sixth floor and Severus was coming around the other side and they collided. Lily hadn't been intentionally avoiding Severus, though she hadn't seen much of him these last two weeks because she had been keeping to herself and they were in different houses. If both of them didn't make an effort to see each other then they usually didn't. The only classes that they had together this year were Transfigurations' and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Hi Lily." Severus said, quite surprised by her sudden unexpected appearance. Lily just stared at him for a moment and then blinked rapidly before finally the corners of her mouth pulled up into a small smile.

"Hi Sev." She said quietly. "I didn't expect to see you up here."

"I was looking for you. Are you all right?" He asked, frowning. The effect that those three words had on her when he asked them was drastically different from when Dumbledore had asked. Instead of blowing up and storming away, she slouched over and hung her head. Her smile disappeared.

"I've been better."

"No kidding." They stood around, not knowing what else to say for a while. "You want to go and do homework in the library?"

"Yes." Lily said, smiling again. She was glad that he didn't make her say anything else about how she was feeling. He had understood her need for privacy better then most. Lily had never felt this relived that she had never pried about his home life that he had kept secret. He would let her have her space.

"It's just homework, you don't have to get all excited." Severus said, letting a rare smile grace his face.

"Gee, thanks Sev." Lily said shoving his arm playfully.

James, Remus, and Sirius had all heard this exchange as they had been on their way to the common room when Lily had confronted them. They had, quite thoughtfully, given her a wide berth.

"I don't know why she hangs around that git." James said darkly.

"They're friends." Remus shrugged.

"But why?" James sighed taking the stairs two at a time, his short legs stretching quite far to do so.

"Same reason we're friends with you." Sirius said wryly. James turned around on a step to glare down at Sirius.

"I'd like to think that I am slightly above Severus Snape when it comes to, well, everything." James said, his tone was quite sarcastic though Remus and Sirius could tell that he honestly didn't think much of the gangly, greasy haired Slytherin.

"Only slightly." Sirius said with a wide toothy grin. James just shook his head and Remus let out a chuckle.

"Why am I even friends with you?" James said turning back around and continuing up the stairs.

"Because, like yourself, I too am a slightly better person the Snivellus." James snorted at this.

"I forgot that that's what we called him last year." They were quiet until they reached the portrait of the fat lady, as per usual she was slightly off balance with an empty wine bottle at her feet.

"Hello little ones. Password?"

"Hello." Remus said smiling at the plump woman. "Fidelius." The fat lady nodded and the portrait swung open, revealing a slightly more crowded then usual common room.

"This is going to be great." Sirius said smiling slyly as the portrait closed behind them.

"Subtle, Sirius. You have to be subtle." James said, trying and failing to keep a grin off of his face. He too was looking forward to this prank.

Being wizards of twelve, the extent of their magical knowledge was not great. Especially when it came to how to actually _do_ magic and spells. Most of their pranks last year had involved very little, if any, magic. This prank wasn't going to be any different.

They had spent nearly a full week at Remus's house this summer and Remus lived in a muggle village near the sea. This meant two things for the boys. One, that they had to dress and act like normal muggle boys while they were outside of Remus's house. And two, there were no wizard shops around, only muggle ones.

Being the optimists that they were, they didn't let that deter them. They spent their time, well all the time that Mrs. Lupin allowed that is, to wander about the small sea side town, checking out all the muggle joke shops. Although Remus lived in a fairly small town, there were two within walking distance of his house. And one doubled as a bakery, and had rather exocentric owners.

After exchanging his gallons for what James had coined as 'useless confusing muggle paper,' he had bought up half the store's stock of pretty much everything. They had things that shocked unsuspecting victims when they shook hands with the prankster, 'magic' card decks that looked normal until you flipped them around and then they were all red hearts. Sirius thought it was clever how muggles could come up with these optical illusions without magic and had stated so, getting him an odd look from the owner of the small joke shop. James also bought whoopee cushions, something he and Sirius found endlessly funny and made Remus roll his eyes, boxes with holes in the bottom that you could stick your finger in it and pretend that you found a severed finger, books on muggle pranks and much more. Of course all of these pranks were muggle and therefore, only so amusing, but still. They thought that, being at a school of witchcraft, nobody would be expecting that kind of thing.

So, the previous night, when everybody had been asleep, the three boys had sneaked down to the common room and set up their prank. The idea was simple enough.

Marlene McKinnon, for whom this prank was intended, had a habit of doing everything according to a schedule. She woke at seven, ate at seven thirty, studied until nine, went to classes until lunch, did homework in the library during her free hour, went to class after that, went to the library again, ate dinner at five thirty and then came back to the common room to hang out with her friends and do more homework.

Her schedule was important to her and kept her life organized.

Because of this schedule of hers, she had an alarm clock that was set to wake her up every morning. This wasn't a normal muggle alarm clock, for those wouldn't work within Hogwarts for more then a few days, but this was a wizard alarm clock. This clock would go off at seven by greeting her with a cheery, 'Good morning Marlene, it's time to rise!' Then it would tell her when it was time to get dressed, brush her teeth, comb her hair and leave her room. Needless to say, this was a withstanding joke with her fellow Gryffindors. Cleo Downing, a roommate of Marlene's, had actually attempted to chuck the 'blasted clock' into the fire two years previously but unfortunately, Nicholas Stevenson had stopped her.

Nicholas, a chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and was Marlene's boyfriend. He thought the clock was a nice and thoughtful gift but, really, it was just annoying. Marlene insisted that she loved it and continued to use it but even she had tried to break the blasted thing many times.

Anyway, once the three boys were in the common room and seated in their corner, Sirius looked up at the clock above the fireplace and started bouncing up and down in anticipation.

"Would you just calm yourself down a smidgen?" James asked rolling his hazel eyes. "You are going to give us away."

"Yes, because _nobody_ is going to suspect us." Remus said sarcastically.

"Actually, they might not, we have been good-" But whatever the end of Sirius's sentence was going to be was drowned out by a loud, beep. Just one loud beep. Everybody turned their heads around, looking for the source. James made a show of looking up at the ceiling and Remus tried his best to look confused. Sirius, however, just laughed. Then that beep was followed by another, a bit louder than the first. Then more beeps followed, getting faster and louder as they progressed.

"What is that?" Cleo asked, putting down her advanced Potions' book and getting up from her seat by the window.

"It sounds like-" Marlene started to say something but was cut off by another beep. A louder, longer beep that sounded almost like a fire truck's horn. This sound seemed to be coming from the opposite side of the room than the first.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked pulling his acting skills together, and standing up. He had barely finished talking when about four more different noises started going off from different parts of the room.

Marlene seemed to have realized what it was that was making the noises and rolled her eyes. "Haha, very funny." She said, looking around at the utterly bewildered Gryffindors. "They're alarm clocks, aren't they?" But barely anyone could hear her over the racket. She put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips, apparently she no longer thought it funny and decided to pull the head girl card. "If somebody doesn't make it stop now, I will start giving out detentions." She warned.

"To who Mar?" Cleo asked as she stood on her tiptoes to look on a bookcase for one of the clocks. "You don't know who did this." Marlene huffed and then sighed.

"Fine, just help me find the blas-" She was cut off by the obnoxiously loud sound of a rooster crowing. Marlene swore, another thing that the new clock drowned out, and dropped to her knees. She crawled over to one of the armchairs, reached up underneath it and smiled in victory. She extracted her arm and in her hand was a clock. It had a rooster background on the face and was blue. It was beeping loudly but she just pushed the top and it stopped. Of course this did little to lessen the noise, but still, she was getting somewhere.

"What's that on the bottom?" Sirius asked suddenly, pointing at the clock that was still in the head girl's hands. Marlene crinkled her brow and flipped the small clock upside down. She frowned slightly, and tilted her head to the side. Suddenly the whole common room erupted into madness. The noise was absolutely unbearable. Marlene dropped the blue clock and brought her hands up to cover her ears.

Sirius cracked a smile at James, who was trying very hard not to laugh. "I love that spell." James said loudly. Though, with all the other noise, Sirius and Remus could barely hear him.

"Who knew that there was a spell that could make things louder?" Sirius agreed smiling.

"Umm, have you never been to a Quidditch game?" Remus asked shaking his head. "You do know that the microphone is magically en-"

"Shut up Remus, you're ruining it." Sirius said still smiling.

"Start looking for them!" They faintly heard Marlene instructing everyone in the vicinity.

Sirius laughed and started walking towards the door, James and Remus following. James had to step over the small blue clock on his way and out and laughed as he saw the large number '42' painted on the bare back of the alarm.

* * *

><p>"Do you think they realized that there are only 12 clocks in the common room?" Remus asked as they walked out of the kitchens with their hands full of food.<p>

"If they haven't yet, they soon will." James laughed. "Especially if they start using their heads. Do they really think that anyone could have fit 42 clocks in their trunk, along with everything else that they have to bring to school?"

"How did you fit 12?" Remus asked James.

"Well, I had some in my trunk obviously." Sirius said. He turned his head to wipe his mouth on his sleeve and just about dropped everything that he was balancing on his arms.

"Well, right now I think that Marlene suspects somebody in her year." Remus said. He was also trying to help Sirius steady his wavering stack of cookies with his elbow. "If that were the case, all they needed to have done was to have shrunk the clocks with magic. Most of the seventh years are seventeen. Then they could have fit all the clocks they wanted in their trunk."

"I can't wait till our seventh year." Sirius sighed.

"Why don't we just take things one year at a time?" Remus laughed.

The boys turned down the corridor perpendicular the one that they had just left, and headed towards a set of stairs. As the boys tried to work out how to walk up the stairs without dropping any of their sweets, another group of boys started heading down the stairs towards them.

Orian Buckle, Ian Bones and Peter Pettigrew, all second year Gryffindors, were talking quite animatedly and walking side by side down the staircase. Peter Pettigrew had been one of James, Sirius and Remus's friends last year before they had found out that Remus was a werewolf and, consequently, Orian and Ian were the two kids who James and Sirius had fought with at the beginning of last year about werewolves. Ian and Orian were convinced that werewolves, all werewolves, were completely awful by nature. Almost needless to say that so far this year, neither James nor Sirius had so much as spoken a word to Peter. Though Sirius did often send glares in Peter's direction whenever they were in a close proximity.

At the beginning of the year, Peter had traded beds with Frank Longbottom so that he wouldn't have the bed next to Remus's. This had hurt Remus's feeling, but he understood why the boy was acting the way he was and didn't confront him with it. He just needed Peter to not mind enough to keep his secret.

Remus was a werewolf and, before Sirius and James, nobody except his parents had ever been able to look past that. The fact that Peter was keeping his secret and not screaming whenever he saw him was good enough for Remus.

Well, that is what he told himself anyway.

"Hey guys." Orian said happily spotting the pranksters. "Did you hear what happened in the common room?" James was about to answer him when Ian snorted.

"Please Ian. It's more like, how did you all pull it off?" Sirius laughed at this. Despite their differing views about werewolves, Sirius didn't mind Ian. He especially didn't mind him as much as some of the other boys in their dorm. Namely Orian Buckle and Stephen Jones. "Another _intelligent _question would be: why the hell did it take you all so long to do it?"

"We could lie and tell you that we have been secretly hiding the clocks round the common room for the last two weeks." Sirius shrugged. "But I'm pretty sure you know why we haven't been up to our usual shenanigans." Ian nodded. They hadn't talked about it all together, but the rest of the boys had realized that it would take some time before James, Sirius and Remus were ready to be themselves and talk to them again. They hadn't really known Carlee but they had seen a lot of her, seeing as how she usually hung out in the boy's dorm with the gang.

"Well, the whole thing was bloody brilliant regardless." Ian said smirking. "When we left, Marlene was still looking for some of the clocks."

"Really?" Sirius asked, looking quite surprised. "I thought that she would have found them all by now. I mean a simple 'accio' spell would have sufficed."

"That's actually what we were afraid of." James said, also looking surprised. "That all the older years would just summon them."

"So, you are going to share your spoils, correct?" Orian asked, eyeing the toffee that James was balancing on top of a cake.

"We actually didn't intent to." Sirius said rolling his eyes. "We found out where the kitchens were-"

"There is no way that we're going to be able to eat this all by ourselves." Remus interrupted. "We're heading back to the dorm now; if you blokes want to help us take this up the next six flights of stairs, I am sure that Sirius wouldn't object to you having a bit."

"We'll see." Sirius sighed, but allowed Ian to take two plates that he had on his forearms. Remus walked over to Peter, who noticed the advance and quickly scuttled over to take some food from James. Orian didn't notice this behavior and relieved Remus of part of his burden. The six boys then set off towards the common room.

"Where were you lot headed?" James asked once they had reached the first landing.

"We were just going for a walk. The common room was pretty loud and it had little to do with the alarms. Marlene is really upset." Ian said smirking. "You better hope that she doesn't find out that it was you lot."

"It wouldn't really be a welcoming gift if she didn't know who it was from." Sirius smiled. "The last clock she is going to find has our initials on it."

"What?" James and Remus shouted simultaneously.

"I put, 'S-J-R' on the back of the clock that is behind the drawer, in the corner desk. Nothing too incriminating." He said, still smiling.

"No, of course not." James rolled his eyes.

"Only enough information for her to realize that it was us." Remus added. He didn't really fancy getting detention. Somehow, he had gone through all of last year with only about a week's worth. With friends like James and Sirius and, at the time Carlee, it was a wonder he hadn't been in trouble every other day.

"Come on! We have been behaving!" Sirius said as though his reasoning should have been perfectly clear for both of them. "We need to let her know it was us. Or else Smith could take the blame for us like he did last year. And, if you ask me, I think that boy thinks too highly of himself."

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Ian said laughing. James and Remus were just looking at Sirius as though they thought he was completely mental and Sirius was ignoring them and smiling.

"I thought the whole thing was funny." Peter said quite unexpectedly. "I don't know why Marlene is so upset. It's only a joke." Sirius was about to agree with him when he realized who had spoken. He bit his tongue instead and waited for somebody else to say something. Nobody did for a moment. Ian seemed to notice the awkwardness and started whistling.

"Thanks Peter." Remus said unexpectedly. Sirius rolled his eyes. After everything that Peter had done last year, Remus still was being friendly toward the prick.

"I'm not looking forward to getting back anymore." James sighed, as they finally reached the portrait. Orian smiled at James as he gave the password.

There was still an alarm going off.

"YOU!" Marlene shouted, storming over to the boys and stopping in front of James and Sirius.

"You could be singular or plural dear. Are you addressing one or both of us?" Sirius asked, daring to be cheeky.

"Don't start with me." She said much more quietly. "I know it was you lot and if you go and get the clocks, I will _not_ give you a month's worth of detention."

"That's a bit vague." James said frowning slightly. "Does that mean you will give us more or less then a month of detention?"

"I won't give you any detention for this little stunt if you just get the blasted things turned off." She sighed.

"Alright, don't get your knickers in a twist." Sirius smiled. "How many have you found?"

"Eleven." Marlene said, pointing to a desk where eleven of the twelve clocks sat, some smashed and others dented.

"Did one of them have our initials on it?"

"What? No." She said looking from James, to Sirius, to Remus. The last of the three was looking at the floor and shaking his head. This was entirely his fault after all. He wanted his friends to stop sulking, so he had instigated this. He came up with half of it but he hadn't meant to upset Marlene so much.

So, before Sirius could put down his load of food, Remus set his on a near by table. He walked over to the corner desk, pulled the bottom drawer completely out of the desk, put it beside him, reached his arm in the hole and withdrew the last clock. He pushed the button on the top and the alarm stopped. The common room was silent at last and everybody was relived and stayed silent. It was Marlene that broke the silence.

"I am still giving you detention." Marlene said eyeing the culprits. "I promised you I wouldn't for the clocks, but how does two weeks sound for sneaking down to the kitchens?"

Sirius smiled at her and James laughed. "You're Head Girl." The former said with a slight bow.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: They're back! In my head, I said that slowly and in a creepy sort of way. Reminiscent of horror films that usually say, 'I'm back' or 'Freddie's home.' Just thought I would let you know.<strong>

**And, I hope my prank was alright too because... I am not the prankster type and I have to really stretch my imagination. Hope what they did was alright. And if you happened to have any ideas you don't mind me using, I wouldn't object to you telling me what they are. Like I said already, I am really stretching myself on the whole prank thing. **

**Anyway, tell me what you thought of their little stunt, the new HG, or whatever. Reviews are my poison. **

**~Craz**


	5. Chapter Five: Realizations and Quidditch

**AN: Hey everybody, here is the latest installment of The Marauders: Year Two. This chapter is quite a long one, and there is quite a bit in it, soooo, I hope you like it. :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five: Realizations and Quidditch<strong>

Detention wasn't as brutal as it could have been. Having to clean some of the corridors in the dungeons by hand didn't seem nearly as bad as some of the things they had had to do last year. For example, Filch had forced them to clean the girl's loo at one point. It hadn't been just any girl's loo either. No, it had been the girl's loo that was on the second floor. This particular lavatory was haunted by Moaning Myrtle, who was a sullen ghost that happened to have died in the second stall, and now lived in a toilet.

As it so happened, the boys weren't getting much cleaning done anyway. Filch, for some reason, never stayed around to make sure that their punishment was being carried out and, since there was no one around to make them do what they were supposed to, they were having a water fight of sorts.

Remus had claimed two of the three buckets, that, at one point had held the soapy water, now he was using one as a shield. Sirius used his wand like a hose, shouting out the 'Aguamenti' spell to shoot jets of water out at his opponents.

James came up behind Sirius and dowsed him with the third bucket leaving it on his head. The distraction caused Sirius to drop his wand and Remus took advantage of this and threw the water that had collected in his buckets at James and Sirius both. They all started laughing and didn't hear any footsteps coming their way and, because of this, they were caught completely by surprise when Daniel Baker coughed, announcing his arrival.

"What are you doing?" He asked, causing all three of the young boys to freeze. Of course they shouldn't have been too surprised to run into the Slytherins, they were in the dungeons after all.

Sirius cleared his throat and stood up a little straighter before replying. "We were obviously washing the floors." He said, with a straight face.

"Obviously." The older boy said, biting his bottom lip. Without saying anything else to them, he turned on his heel and walked in the opposite direction. The Gryffindors watched him go silently. Once his footsteps could no longer be heard, Sirius turned around to face Remus and James.

"What was that?" He asked, his eyebrows traveling up his forehead.

"I think he is having a mental break down or something." James said, also looking quite shocked. "He's never just walked away before." James' mind traveled back to last year when the Slytherin had joined his housemates in a fight against the then first years.

"It's sort of disheartening." Sirius said glumly. "He's so upset he can't even hex ickle Gryffindors anymore." Both James and Sirius snickered.

"Give him a break." Remus said unexpectedly harshly. "His brother has just _died_. Or had you forgotten?" Sirius and James both blenched. It was James who recovered first.

"Of course we haven't forgotten. Sorry Remus. We were just being thick, that's all."

"Yeah mate, we didn't mean it." Sirius said quickly.

"I know." Remus said. He was slightly surprised by his own outburst. He, _he,_ of all people, had no right at all to tell James and Sirius what to do. After everything that they knew and everything that they put up with, he had no right to talk to them like that. They were his friends despite everything that was wrong with him.

Well, that's how he saw it anyway.

"Let's just get back to work, yeah?" Remus asked picking up an overturned bucket and used his wand to fill it with water.

"Okay mate. Sorry." James said, mimicking Remus's actions.

Daniel Baker was not a bad kid, he was not a bully (for the most part) and so far this year he was different. And no one could blame him. His brother was dead. His dad was dead. His sister was dead. His life seemed to be a nightmare and he didn't know what to do.

His friends didn't know what to say to him, his girlfriend didn't even try to talk to him, his teachers kept letting him come to class late without docking points and, this was what bothered him the most, people kept giving him all those damn sympathetic looks. Like they had any clue at all what he was going through.

It bothered him when people tried to talk to him, it bothered him when they _didn't_. It bothered him that he didn't really _like_ any of the people who were around him, his housemates to be more specific. It also bothered him that this had just dawned on him. It bothered him that he had been attending Hogwarts for four years and had never realized that almost every person in his house was a complete and utter moron. It had taken three people in his family being murdered for him to realize that most of his friends didn't really give a rat's ass about him. This was a harsh truth, but one that Daniel cared very little about in the scheme of things.

He hadn't been there when _it_ had happened. He had been with Alec and some of Alec's friends. They were talking about the raids and trying to come up with some way that they could get involved. It was late and Daniel should have gone home two hours before he finally did. Alec walked him to the door of his new apartment and handed him his jacket.

"I wouldn't talk much about this at home." Alec said before Daniel's hand reached the door knob. "If you're as serious as I am about joining these raids, we need to keep a low profile. Dad wouldn't really be too pleased if he found out either. And with his involvement in the Ministry, things could get… awkward."

"I am not daft, Al." Daniel said, rolling his eyes.

"I didn't say you were." Alec said, taking a step closer to his younger brother. "I am just saying that, for the time being, we are the underdogs. It won't be long until we come out on top of course but, for now, just lay low."

"I already know all of this. Can I go home now?" This time he grinned at Alec. It was sort of funny to him how much Alec looked out for him. Alec was a scary dude. Most people didn't get to see this side of him.

"Wait." Alec said putting a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "There is something else I want to tell y-" And Daniel never found out what Alec had wanted to tell him. He gasped out, feeling as though he had just had the wind knocked out of him. He fell backwards against the wall and slid down to the ground. Alec looked at his little brother in shock.

"Are you alright?" He asked, kneeling down next to him. But Daniel didn't say anything. There was a pain in his chest, it was growing worse by the second and he could taste iron in his mouth. "What's going on?"

"Hell if I know." Daniel thought. But he couldn't voice his opinion as another sharp pain shot through his body and made his blood turn to lava. Every inch of his body felt as if it were on fire. He bit down on his lip to stop himself from crying out.

"Daniel!" Alec said, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him. "Say something!"

"Get off of me!" The younger wizard managed weakly. A shadow seemed to be falling over his vision. Alec's face, a mere foot from his, was getting dark and blurry. The lights that hung on the hallway's ceiling seemed dimmer than they had been before. The world seemed to have split in half. That's when everything clicked into place for him. He sat up quite suddenly, nearly smashing his head into Alec's. "It's Dylan." He said quietly but forcefully. Alec shook his head and squinted at Daniel.

"What is Dylan?" Alec said quite confused as to what Daniel's twin had to do with anything.

"He's in trouble!" Daniel shouted. "I need to get to him. Apparate me home, now!" Although he didn't usually like taking orders, Alec complied immediately. The fear that was on Dylan's face probably had something to do with the lack of an argument.

When Daniel had walked around the corner back at Hogwarts and had seen his little sister's friends laughing and playing with the water, he felt two emotions that he didn't know he could feel at the same time. Firstly he felt anger. This was why he felt compelled to call out and interrupt them, to stop their laughter. Why should they laugh when his brother, his father, his sister were all dead.

When they all looked at him though, the anger subsided. He didn't know why but he now felt scared. He felt as if he were back in the hallway with Alec, reliving… what had happened. The feeling was misplaced and didn't make sense to him. Why did they trigger that?

The world still hadn't regained the light that had been lost that night and Daniel didn't think that it ever would. For some reason, this knowledge made him turn around and take a different route to the Slytherin common room.

Daniel wasn't a bad kid, he wasn't a bully but he seemed to have changed.

Dylan had been a good kid, he had been a nice guy and he was dead.

_**A WEEK LATER**_

_Dear Carlee,_

Lily had been staring at this line for the last hour. She was currently sitting at the desk in the back corner of the library, alone.

Still avoiding her roommates, Lily found herself alone a lot more then she liked. Though she still didn't think she was up for a reunion. Savanna seemed to have differing views on that subject.

"I thought I might find you here." She said, dropping her book onto the table and sliding into the chair on Lily's right.

"Why?" Lily asked, only vaguely aware that this was the first word she had said to Savanna in days. Savanna seemed to be a bit more aware because she smiled quietly and then pressed on.

"Well I had already looked in the common room, the dorm and the Owlery. I really should have checked here first."

"Why were you looking for me?" Lily asked to which Savanna shrugged. They sat in silence for a moment, each adjusting to the other's company.

"What are you doing?" Savanna asked, peering over at the parchment in front of Lily. "Oh…" Savanna had seen the words before Lily could do anything to prevent her. "I haven't been able to get much further than that either. I mean, I have tried a lot. The bin is full of all my barmy attempts to console her, send her cheerful thoughts or else tell her how much we miss her. I don't think she would like that very much though." She said thoughtfully. Lily just looked at her. "Do you disagree?"

"No." Lily said apathetically.

"Please talk to me." Savanna said quietly. "You weren't the only one that lost a friend you know." Lily flushed at this. Of course she knew this. But she still had the right to grieve however she pleased.

"You can't make feel guilty so that I'll talk to you." Lily said, carefully, biting back her temper.

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty." Savanna said, quickly realizing her mistake. "I just miss you. And I miss Ella and Carlee, but there is nothing that I can do about missing them. I can fix things up with you." Lily sighed. She understood this logic. Savanna wanted to take control of what she could.

"I'm sorry that I have been avoiding you. I just… I don't know how to handle this." Lily admitted.

"There is no right way." Savanna allowed. "But isolating yourself isn't really healthy. It actually might be the wrong way." She tried to smile at Lily. Lily didn't look at her. She didn't want to be smiling and happy. She didn't want to just forget Ella and move on. "I'll leave you alone for now but you have been warned. This isn't going to last." She said, pointing at Lily. She stood up and grabbed her bag off the table. Before leaving, however, she gave Lily another scrutinizing look. "Try writing to Ella. It's easier." Lily looked up, surprised. "I'll see you at dinner." Without saying anything more, she turned and left the library.

_Write to Ella…_

Lily pulled out a new sheet of parchment and laid it on top of the barely started letter to Carlee. She dipped her quill into the ink and, before she had formed a conscious idea of what she wanted to say, her hand started scribbling across the page. She found that she couldn't write fast enough.

_**NEXT MORNING**_

**Six Murdered and Twelve Injured **

_**By: Glenolden Thornton **_

_**Recently denounced dark forces have gone back to the causing of panic and chaos. It started yesterday at seven in the evening in Diagon Alley. No less then twenty masked men made an appearance in front of Olivander's wand shop and started attacking everyone in sight. Marcus McKinnon, an Auror for the Ministry, was at the scene that day, doing some shopping with his wife, when the attack occurred.**_

"_**They just came out of nowhere." Said the wizard, with fear in his eyes. "Like smoke, they just 'poofed' here. It wasn't like apparation. I don't have any idea what it was."**_

_**Besides the raiders using a new kind of magic that allows them to travel as 'smoke,' they also managed to 'poof' away before the Ministry could catch even one of them-**_

The article went on, but James didn't want to read anymore. It was bad enough that the raiders were killing people, what was worse was that nobody had been able to stop them yet.

"So much for it all being over." Sirius said gloomily, returning his own paper to the table and picking up a piece of toast.

"We knew it wasn't." James said, he was a bit edgy this morning and Sirius was about to hit him.

"I was actually hoping that it was." Frank said from beside James.

"My dad has a friend in the Auror department. They have been sending people out undercover for months now. You know, trying to get somebody on the inside. But as far as I know, they haven't got anywhere yet. But they definitely had something to track, so it wasn't over."

"Well, I was still _hoping_ that it was over." Frank muttered into his porridge.

"So was I." James said rolling his eyes and drumming his fingers on the table. He had been sitting at the table for nearly a half hour and hadn't yet eaten anything.

"Hey Potter." Somebody shouted from behind him. He turned around and his stomach started churning at what he saw. Emery Brown, the Quidditch Captain, was walking towards him with a smile on her face. "I hear that you want Camry's old spot on the team, is that right?"

"Y-yeah." James stuttered, mentally slapping himself.

"I hope you're ready for the tryouts then."

"He better be ready." Sirius said grouchily from across the table. "He had me up till lights out last night playing keeper. I'm a bloody awful keeper."

"You trying out too, Black?" Emery asked.

"Nah, I'm more of a beater myself, when I play that is."

"Well, all the positions are open. You can try out for beater if you want."

"Why are all the positions open?" James asked before Sirius could reply.

"Because that's how I do things. I want the best and if I just bring people back from last year then I won't necessarily get the best will I?"

"I suppose not." James said.

"So, how about it Sirius? Will I see you down at the pitch?"

"Of course you will, I just won't be on a broom." Sirius said cheekily.

"Fair enough." Emery said heading down to sit with her fellow seventh years.

"Be warned," Cleo Downing, one of the chasers from last year said, as she walked past them. "It's all false cheerfulness. She's going to turn into a monster once she gets on the pitch. That's what tryouts do to a captain."

James' face paled even more.

"Tough luck, mate." Sirius laughed.

"Sod off."

"Language." Sirius chided, still laughing.

"I said sod off!" James said, grinding his teeth together.

"James, calm down before one of the prefects hear you." Remus said gently. So far, he had escaped James' wrath this morning and he preferred to keep it that way.

The morning's early drizzle had left the ground of Hogwarts soggy. When James walked out into the chilled morning air, this did nothing to relieve his attitude. Remus was doing his best to put his friend at ease but James wasn't taking much notice to him. He was just focused on putting one foot in front of the other and breathing. If he thought too much, he would lose his nerve.

Cleo hadn't been kidding. Emery was livid.

She stood in the middle of the field, dressed in all her Quidditch attire, a broom in one hand and a clipboard in the other. She had a whistle around her neck and an enraged expression on her face. James nearly threw up when he saw her.

"You're going to be great mate. Really. You're twice the flier of… half the people here." Sirius said clapping a hand on James' shoulder.

"No, you're probably the best here." Remus assured him. "And you're definitely going to get on the team. Emery would have to be mad _not_ to let you on the team." Unfortunately Emery chose that moment to yell at a first year for not having one of their shoes tied. The boy left the pitch in tears.

"She is mad." James groaned. "I can't do this. I'll wait till next year when Stein or Cliff is the captain." James turned around and started back towards the castle. Sirius grabbed his arm and spun him back around.

"You didn't get me up this early on a Saturday to give up." He said scathingly. "You're going to get out there, fly beautifully and get the damn position! Do you hear me?" He was yelling but Remus could tell that it was just a show. James swallowed and nodded.

"Thanks." He said solemnly. "I needed that."

"It's fine. I've wanted to yell at you all morning. Well, all week really." Sirius smiled. "Just make sure you get on the team or else we're giving your bed to a first year." James punched his friend's arm and proceeded to the pitch.

Sirius and Remus climbed into the stands and found a bench to themselves. They watched as Emery started shouting at everybody and weeding out the non-Gryffindors. As she did this, Cleo attempted to make sure that nobody started crying. Try as she might, a group of first year Hufflepuffs still left the pitch in tears. Emery didn't seem to notice.

Sirius was finding the whole ordeal quite humorous but Remus was sympathetic towards his friend who would soon have to face the wrath that was Emery Brown.

The tryouts took all morning and started to stretch into the afternoon. Sirius had already threatened to leave for lunch twice if things didn't start picking up, but Remus knew that he was all talk. He wouldn't just skip out on James like that. For all his faults, Sirius Black was a good friend.

Finally, around one o'clock, it was James' turn to officially tryout. Emery had already had everybody fly around the pitch to weed out the people who just _couldn't_ fly, which was about half of the people who had showed up. But James hadn't gotten to actually play yet. Remus wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. James could have relaxed during that wait or spent the whole time fidgeting and talking himself down.

"Alright!" Remus heard the magically magnified voice of the frazzled Quidditch Captain shout quite hoarsely towards her potential chasers. There were five others in the air with James, including Cleo Downing and Rodger Cliff, both trying to get their positions from last year. Joining them was a couple of fourth year boys and a seventh year girl. They were playing a scrimmage against each other with Emery playing keeper.

As the game went on James managed to make three goals, despite Emery's practiced skills as a keeper. Cleo made two goals and Rodger made thee. One of the fourth years had managed to get one right after they started but got a verbal lashing from Emery for gloating and failed to make another.

After about thirty minutes, Emery let them all land and called up the second group of chasers. This group performed dismally compared to the first. Only one third year managed to score a goal and it appeared to have happened by accident.

"He's a shoo-in." Sirius said confidently. "He was the best out there."

"He was rather good, wasn't he?" Remus agreed.

"Alright!" Emery yelled, or tried to yell. Her voice was almost completely gone now. "Cleo, you read the bloody list." She yelled thrusting the paper into her friend's hands. Cleo shook her head but complied.

"OK! " She took a deep breath, scanned the paper and smiled. Then she took her wand and tapped her throat. This time, when she spoke, her voice echoed throughout the whole arena. "The keeper is Emery Brown of course, the beaters are Nicholas Stevenson and Edward House, Seth Stein is still the seeker, and the chasers, other than myself, are Rodger Cliff and…" Here she paused and squinted at the paper as though the handwriting was difficult to read. She leaned over to James who had weaseled his way up to her. "Can you read this?" She asked with a slight smirk on her face. James looked at her in a confused way but looked down at the list nonetheless.

James froze for a solid minute before he let out a whoop and his fist pumped the air. Cleo laughed at her newest teammate before filling in the rest of the waiting awaiting Gryffindors with who the last chaser was.

"Watch the celebration, Potter. I'll kick you off for unsportsmanlike like behavior." Emery said harshly. James didn't really listen to what she said but instead ran over and hugged her. She was a bit taken-aback but quickly regained her composure. "We'll see how much you like me after a couple of practices."

"Oh I love you actually." James said reaching for her hand and placing a quick peck on it before she pulled it away and whacked him over the head.

"I mean it Potter. Behave or I will kick you off."

"No she won't." Rodger said walking up beside James. "She's been saying that to me for years."

"I've only had the spot of captain for two years now. And I will still kick you off." She tried to shout, though she was now fighting a smile. "Let's just go to eat now, please. I just want to forget today ever happened."

"Can't we just forget this morning?" James asked. "I sort of liked how the last hour went."

"I told you to just hold tryouts for the chaser's position, but nooo." Cleo said draping an arm around the captain's neck. "You have to have the best."

"Looks like she already had the best." Seth grinned. "Though I don't know where she would have got that idea. We only won the Quidditch cup last year."

"Don't get cocky. Ravenclaw has a new captain and they have already started practicing." She quickly dove into a lecture on all the new tactics that she wanted implemented, how she wanted extra practices even when they didn't have the pitch and how all of them needed to keep their schedules open incase she needed them.

James followed his new team and hung onto every word that she said. This was exactly what he wanted.

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><p><strong>AN: And there we are. I hope you enjoyed that. James deserved to finally get on the team. I mean, he couldn't even tryout last year, right? <strong>

**Tell me what you think. You can do this with these lovely things called reviews. The button is right below. **

**~Craz **


	6. Chapter Six: Secrets and New Friends

**AN: Hey everybody. Happy Sunday to all of you. I hope you all are enjoying your weekend, I know I am. I am also procrastinating though. I have quite a bit of English homework that is demanding my attention that I am ignoring. Any way, I hope you enjoy chapter six. :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter Six: Secrets, Aurors, and New Friends<strong>

**October**

Lily was sitting up in the Owlery with a sealed envelope in one hand and an owl sitting on her other. She had finally figured out what she had wanted to say to Carlee. It had taken her a little over a month to do so, but she now had a completed letter. It was a total of four pages. Four pages that, after writing to Ella a few more times, had come much easier then her previous attempts.

She was only slightly nervous as she tied the letter to the owl's feet and sent the bird off. She had no way of knowing how Carlee would react to it. She could ignore it, burn it or send a howler back.

With a sigh, Lily swept her hair behind her ear and turned around to leave the room. Savanna was waiting for her just outside the door and, after she closed the door, she linked arms with the brunette and walked with her to the Great Hall.

"All right?" Savanna asked.

"All right." Lily agreed. When they reached the Great Hall Lily only hesitated a moment before joining her friends. Mary didn't say anything and Coral tried to hide a smile that was spreading across her face. Lily appreciated the fact that they didn't' make a fuss and returned Coral's smile.

Ella was gone and Carlee was absent. Lily wouldn't forget Ella and she would continue to write to Carlee, but she was going to be okay.

* * *

><p>Sirius ran the length of the corridor on his toes, hoping to muffle his footfalls. His hair whipped him in the face as he turned his head to glance over his shoulder but it didn't obstruct his view much.<p>

Playing tag in the castle had been his idea. Playing on only the seventh floor had been Remus's idea, which had been rejected promptly by both James and Sirius. So now, as Sirius raced along the fifth floor corridor, he knew that nobody was chasing him.

"Maybe Remus had a point." Sirius muttered, slowing down as he reached the end of the corridor. Even with all nine of the second year Gryffindor boys, four of the girls, half of the first years and a handful of third years, the castle was still too bloody big to play tag in. They could get the whole school playing and it would only be a slight improvement.

"Talking to yourself are you?" A voice called from behind Sirius. He debated running, thinking briefly that it was Ian, who had been 'it' the last time he heard. Then he placed the voice and stopped mid-stride.

"Hey Reg." Sirius smiled at his younger brother. "What are you doing up here on a Saturday?"

"Could ask you the same." Regulus said, smiling back. "Now, what are you doing?"

"Playing tag." Sirius laughed.

"By yourself?"

"Makes it more difficult." He nodded seriously. Regulus shook his head and laughed.

"Well, where is everyone?"

"I've got no bloody clue." Sirius shrugged. "The castle's so big, it's not ideal for playing tag. Now, what are you doing here?"

"Exploring. I've never been to the seventh floor."

"That's because the only things up there is my common room and the divination classroom."

"Still. I'd like to go and see."

"Alright, just be careful that you don't run into any Gryffindors." Sirius turned to go up to the sixth floor. "But if you do, don't tell them that you saw me."

"I won't." Regulus laughed, watching his brother run away. Once Sirius was out of sight, Regulus heard somebody cough quietly somewhere up towards the front of the corridor. "He's gone." Regulus said, without looking back.

"Good." Rabastan Lestrange muttered. He walked around the corner with Evan Rosier in tow. "Don't know why you didn't just let me hex him. It would have been easier."

"He's my brother." Regulus said defiantly.

"He's a Gryffindor."

"He's still a Black." Rosier shrugged. "We can't walk around attacking pure bloods."

"He's also my brother." Regulus said, now grinding his teeth.

"Cool it Black, we'll leave him alone as long as he doesn't cause us any trouble." Rabastan chortled. "Now let's just do what we came here to do, yeah?"

"Fine." Regulus said. The defiance left him and was replaced with ill-hidden fear. "Let's just do this quickly."

"That's the plan." Rosier sneered. He walked over to an empty classroom and unlocked the door with a flick of his wand. He pulled it open and let Regulus and Evan walk past him before walking in himself, locking the door behind him.

* * *

><p>"Cliff is bloody brilliant. I mean, he could definitely make a professional team if he wanted to." James said, as he sat next to Remus in the little room in the back of the hospital wing. This was the room that Madam Pomfry had made up for him last year. There was a bed that looked quite similar to the one in his dormitory, a little bathroom, a desk, a few chairs and a fireplace. James and Sirius had come down after Quidditch practice and were now entertaining Remus who was bed-ridden due to yesterday's full moon.<p>

Sirius was draped over the end of Remus's bed and James was sitting on the edge of a chair that he had pulled close to Remus's side. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet and retelling every detail of his practice to Remus who listened with as much interest as he could manage. James didn't seem to mind when Remus's eyes drifted closed for a few seconds.

"Anyway, Cleo said that I am probably the best first year chaser that she's ever seen. Of course she doesn't mean 'first year' as in what year of school I am in, but you know. First year-"

"I am sure he gets it, James." Sirius yawned, sitting up and stretching his arms behind his head. "Look. You're putting both of us to sleep. Just give us the highlights." James scowled. "I mean, I was _there_ you know."

"I was just telling Remus. _He _wasn't there."

"Lucky sod." Sirius sighed, James rolled his eyes. "I'm hungry. When is she going to let you out of here?"

"Not until tomorrow at the earliest." Remus said. "You know that you don't have to stay here."

"Well we don't want you to be bored." James shrugged.

"Really, go down to the kitchens. I am going to pass out as soon as you leave."

"Why didn't you tell us you were tired?" James huffed. "You're going to get us into trouble with the matron. Then we won't be allowed to visit you at all."

"She wouldn't do that." Remus laughed.

"You're still going to get us into trouble." James sighed. "And I don't know if I can handle detention. I've heard it's pretty brutal."

"Didn't you tell all the first years that they made you wash a troll?" Remus laughed weakly.

"Might of." James shrugged. Sirius rolled his eyes and waved at Remus.

"See you later mate." Sirius said, grabbing his broom off the floor and resting it against his shoulder. James followed him, grabbing his own broom as he waved to Remus.

James and Sirius started walking down the hall toward their common room. Sirius occasionally let the topic turn to Quidditch but, for the most part, they were discussing what they were going to eat.

They made it all the way to the other side of the castle before running into anybody.

Lily and Severus were walking down the stairs with their arms full of books and neither pair seemed to notice the other until they were less then three meters apart. James and Sirius were drooling over the prospect of eating twelve treacle tarts apiece and then they heard Severus snort. He had just spotted the Gryffindors and was already wearing a sneer by the time they looked up.

"Oh! Hello Snivellus." Sirius said brightly. "I didn't see you there."

"Potter. Black." Severus snapped.

"Hello git." James greeted.

"Watch yourselves." Severus muttered darkly.

"No." Lily said before Sirius could open his mouth. "Stop this now."

"He started it." Sirius shrugged.

"You don't expect us to just take it, do you?" James asked, raising his eyebrows. Lily looked between her friend and the Gryffindors, she knew that this was going to end badly for Severus. He was outnumbered, seeing as how she wasn't going to be a part of the fight.

"Please." She said frowning. "Let's just not do this." She looked at Severus but he didn't seem to notice.

"You'll have to listen to Lily." Severus said smirking. "After all, Carlee's not here to fight for you." He struck a nerve and he knew it. Sirius threw his broom on the ground and reached into his pocket for his wand, whipping it out and pointing it at Severus before he could set his books down. Even Lily was looking at Severus darkly for mentioning Carlee's absence.

"Don't you dare." Sirius threatened.

"Or what?" The Slytherin asked. Both boys had their wands pointed at each others hearts. Sirius's eyes were hard with anger and Severus' flickered with malice.

"Sev." Lily said quietly. Her tone let him know that he had hurt her with his choice of offense, but this didn't matter to him at the moment. All that mattered was Black and getting that stupid smirk to _stay _off of his face.

"You're not going to do anything." Severus sneered. An unintelligible shout and a flash of light told Severus that he was wrong. He was pulled backwards and flung at stone wall.

"Don't talk about Carlee." Sirius said, sliding his wand back into his pocket. "Do it again and you'll get worse than that." Then he grabbed his broom off the floor and started walking away. Severus clutched his stomach and started heaving. He started to cough and made awful retching noises. James and Lily watched in horror as a giant slug fell out of his mouth and landed on the floor in front of him. Lily momentarily forgot that she was angry with the poor boy and bent down to help him up. James simply started laughing.

"That was brilliant mate!" He said, catching up to Sirius in the adjacent corridor. Sirius ground his teeth together and made a noncommittal noise. "Come on Sirius, don't let him get to you. He's a git. We both already knew that."

"He didn't have to do that. Lily's friends with Carlee too. Isn't he supposed to be friends with Lily at least?" Sirius ranted. "Carlee's family died and he is going to use _that_? What kind of scum do you have to be to sink that low?"

"I don't know what Lily sees in him." James added, the smile sliding off of his face. "I mean, can't she see his hair?" He asked, running a hand through his own locks.

"This isn't about your crush on Lily." Sirius sighed. "We are talking about Snivellus being a twat."

"Right, sorry."

"You're not even going to deny it?" Sirius asked, slightly amused.

"No. I like her. Though I haven't a clue why." James shrugged. "She's a know-it-all and completely annoying with her whole, 'you should follow the rules' attitude. _And_ she yelled at us for playing tag, _and_ when I pointed out that there wasn't a rule against it she got angry with me." Sirius laughed.

"Sorry mate. But I am just a bit confused. What about her do you like exactly?"

"I've got no bloody clue." James muttered, causing Sirius to laugh again. "Are we still going to the kitchens?"

"Are you an idiot?" Sirius asked, looking at James sternly. "Of course we're still going to the kitchens."

"Sorry. No need to bite my head off."

* * *

><p>"Did you lot see this?" Frank said at breakfast about a week later. Sirius was the first to look and notice the newspaper in Frank's hand.<p>

"James' didn't come yet." Sirius answered. "Why?" Frank thrust the paper into Sirius's hands instead of answering. "'**Back With a Vengeance.'** Are they referring to the raiders?" Sirius asked, putting the paper down.

"Really Sirius?" Remus asked, sighing and picking up the paper himself. "Do you not know how to read?"

"It's too early to read." Sirius defended himself weakly. "What does it say?"

"This is the worst it's been yet." Remus's voice quaked as he spoke. "Twelve people have gone missing, twenty-seven muggles dead, four half-bloods, seven muggle-borns and three aurors. And they still haven't caught any of the 'raiders.'"

"That's quite the cheerful way to start the weekend." Sirius sighed. "When is all this just going to stop?"

"When's what going to end?" Mary asked, as she and Coral took a seat across from the boys. Frank sighed and handed her the Prophet. "You think our house is going to have another unofficial meeting in the common room?" She asked, as she handed the paper back to Frank after a few moments.

"We seem to do that a lot." Coral mused.

"I think it was Kara's fault." Sirius said, referring to their very committed Head Girl from last year. After a tragic event, their whole house would shut themselves up in the common room. Nobody ever told them all to meet there, it's just where everybody ended up.

"Nah, though she might have had something to do with it." James allowed.

"Umm… Lily told me to ask you why you two are sitting over here." A small girl with a round face and brown curls that went down to the bottom of her cheeks spoke up from behind Mary. She had large soft brown eyes and a slim mouth that had the corners forever upturned into a slight smile. Everything about this girl was small, regardless of the fact that she also appeared to be a first year.

"Well I am ashamed of you, Evans!" James said standing up. "Allocating your less desirable tasks to first years."

"I really don't mind." The small girl said brightly. "I think Lily's avoiding you lot actually."

"Really?" James asked smirking. "And why's she doing that?"

"She doesn't seem to like you much." The girl shrugged.

"Tell her that we," Mary motioned to herself and Coral. "Have no qualms with our fellow housemates and that she should stop whingeing and come and sit with her friends."

"I think she heard you." The first year smiled, nodding towards Lily who was hiding her face behind a curtain of hair.

"What's your name?" James asked the small girl.

"I'm Alice. Alice Fortescue."

"James Potter."

"Remus Lupin."

"You probably know me already, but I am Sirius Black."

"Um… Frank Longbottom." Frank choked out, looking anywhere but at Alice.

"Get control of your tongue man." Sirius laughed. "Care to join us young one?" He offered, motioning to the empty space next to Mary and Remus.

"I would love to. Just hold on one moment." She turned to face the other end of the table and cupped a hand over her mouth. "Oi! Lily, I am going to sit here too!" Lily didn't look up but Alice knew that she heard her.

"Don't know why Evans doesn't like us." James muttered looking down the table at the red head, who was still hiding behind her hair.

"She's a rule follower, that one." Alice explained. "She doesn't like chaos much. And you lot are guaranteed chaos."

"Yeah." Coral agreed. "Her not liking you lot makes sense to me."

"Well fine then." James said, picking up his fork so he could violently stab at some sausage on his plate.

"Um…" Alice looked at Mary for an explanation to James' behavior, but she just shrugged. "So. When's the first Quidditch match?" She asked, hoping a change in the subject would raise his spirits.

"Next week." He said looking up at her. It had worked, all traces of his bad mood were gone. "It's against Ravenclaw."

"That's what I heard." Alice nodded. "Are we going to beat them?"

"Of course we are." James scoffed. "Our team is bloody amazing. Between Seth Stein, Emery Brown and Rodger Cliff, we're unbeatable."

"They are the seeker, the keeper and a chaser right?" Mary asked.

"Yes." James said.

"Why didn't you count Cleo or yourself in that?" Sirius smirked. "Are you admitting that Cliff's better than you?"

"No. I just didn't want to sound conceited." James shrugged. "Besides, the whole team is amazing. You should have seen the save Nicholas made with the bludger yesterday. It was about two inches from Cleo's broom and Nick just came out of nowhere and knocked it to the other side of the pitch. It was beautiful."

"James sounds like he's got a crush on this Nick fellow." Coral snickered. James narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'll have you know that it's perfectly normal for James to drool over Quidditch players regardless of their gender, thank you very much." Sirius said, pretending to stand up for James. The girls started laughing, causing James' face to flush.

"Well alright then." Alice giggled. "I suppose we'll win then."

"You suppose correctly." James said, trying his hardest to hide his blush.

"Don't worry, we won't tell him." Coral assured him.

After breakfast, James went down to the pitch for practice, and Remus and Sirius went up to the common room to find something to do. Once they had reached the common room, they walked over to their usual 'corner' and found Lily sitting there with Savanna.

"Can we help you two?" Sirius asked, sitting in the remaining armchair. Remus sat down on the arm.

"No." Lily said, without looking up from the book she was reading.

"You're in our spots." Sirius elaborated.

"Really? Are your names on them?" Lily asked, this time she looked up.

"Actually, they are." Remus admitted. "Sirius wanted to make sure the claim stuck."

"These chairs belong to everybody in Gryffindor. They aren't yours." Lily said, looking back down at her book. Savanna was watching the scene from her chair and chewing on her bottom lip.

"We know." Sirius said. "Why do you want to do your homework on a Saturday anyway?"

"It's none of your business."

"It's not homework." Savanna said, ignoring the glare that Lily sent her. "We're looking up the organization of the Ministry. Specifically the law enforcement section."

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"Because I am a muggle-born, and I am curious." Lily snapped.

"You don't know then?" He asked Savanna, and ignored Lily.

"Nah, my dad is a half-blood and my mum's a muggle. I mean, I am sure that my dad could answer questions if I wanted to write to him and ask, but this is faster." She said holding up a book about as wide as her head.

"Sure it is." Sirius said sarcastically.

"It is." Lily said.

"What have you found?" Remus asked, trying to avoid any sort of argument.

"The Aurors are dark wizard catchers and are specifically trained in a three year program to do their job effectively." Savanna recited. "They are trained in over ten different areas including, obviously, defensive magic, magical concealment, magical disguise, potions and dueling."

"And despite all of that, these 'raiders' seem to be running rings round them." Lily huffed. "That can't mean anything good."

"No it can't." Remus agreed. "There has to be some figurehead, somebody pulling the strings behind the scenes."

"Probably just too much of a bloody coward to show himself." Sirius muttered.

"Why do you assume that it's a man?" Lily asked. Sirius raised his eyebrow to show that he thought this an odd thing to get offended over but when Lily's glare didn't lessen, he just shrugged.

"Keep your hair on, red. The evil person can be a bird if he wants."

"Don't call me 'red.'" Lily said.

"Yeah Sirius," Remus sighed. "That is a bit unoriginal for you."

"You're right. I am going to have to try again."

"My name is Lily. You can call me that."

"That's even less original then 'red.'" Sirius smirked. "Well, we'll let you two carry on. Come on Remus."

"See you later." Remus waved.

"I think it's prank time." Sirius said, as the two boys ascended the stairs to get to their dorm.

"I think you're quite right." Remus smirked. He shook his head at himself. A year of being friends with Sirius and James and he was already letting their bad influence affect him.

"Are we going to wait for James or invite Peeves to join us?"

"Peeves has probably been bored without us."

"I know. With only a whole new crop of first years to torment, whatever has he been up to?" Sarcasm was clearly evident in his voice.

"Let's grab the cloak and then go and find him."

"Sounds like a plan."

"That's because it is." Remus laughed.

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><p><strong>AN: And that is that. I hope you liked it enough to leave a review, or enough to continue reading the story at least. Though I would like some more reviews, not that I am complaining. But the button is right here, so... you know, take a few seconds to push it. Please. :)<strong>

**~Craz**


	7. Chapter Seven: Letters and Slytherins

**AN: Hey, I am really sorry that this is a day later than usual. I had to type up an essay for English and study for a test. I ran out of time. Sorry. **

**Any way. This chapter is a bit... different from the other chapters in layout I think. It has miny cliff hangers in it, but other then that, shouldn't be much different.**

**I am debating whether or not I should add a Carlee POV in the next chapter, but I am not so sure. When I first started thinking about the plot of this story, she wasn't supposed to be in the second year at all. Not forgotten, but not mentioned as much as she is. I have adjusted to that, but I don't know. I am being finicky about adding her POV in. Tell me what you guys think though. **

**I think I am done blabing though, here is chapter seven. :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven: Letters, Slytherins and a Change of Heart<strong>

The prank had involved sneaking into Professor Bin's room and tipping all of the desks upside down and, thanks to Peeves, covering the walls with profanities. This had earned Sirius three detentions. Remus wasn't caught, nor was there any question to whether or not Sirius had acted alone, well, with only the help of Peeves. Remus knew that Sirius didn't mind taking the fall, but that didn't stop him from apologizing.

"I really am sorry. If you want, I'll go tell McGonagall I was there too."

"It's not a big deal Remus. It's just three detentions. I'm just hoping that they don't make me give the troll a bath." They both laughed at this and Remus let the subject drop.

"Quidditch practice might be over, should we go wait for James in the common room?" Remus asked, as they started to climb one of the many sets of stairs leading them to the fourth floor.

"Sure." Sirius said, as he hopped over a trick step. "We'll tell him how he's missing all the fun now."

"I'm sure he won't see it that way." Remus laughed. He was jumping over the trick step when the staircase gave a lurch to the left and Remus lost his balance and fell. His leg was caught in the step and he could feel the magic pulling his leg farther into the stair. "Bollocks." Remus muttered. Sirius laughed, however.

"Come on mate, stand up." Sirius said, putting one of Remus's arms around his neck and pulling him out of the stair. Unfortunately, the step decided to fight back and Sirius started to lose his balance and let go of Remus.

"Sirius!" Remus gasped as Sirius fell down a few steps. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Stupid stairs." He muttered, walking back up to Remus who was now stuck in the step up to his thigh. "I wonder if they ever lost a student because of these steps.

"Wouldn't surprise me." Remus said, as the step gave another pull at his leg.

"What's going on?" Sirius and Remus both looked towards the top of the stairs to find the last people they wanted to see when stuck in a situation like this.

Severus Snape and Charles Avery.

Both of the boys were also in their second year, though they were in the Slytherin house. Severus was sneering at the two boys as Sirius tried desperately to pull Remus from the step. Remus thought fleetingly of the bad luck they seemed to have when encountering Slytherins. Wherever they were, they always seemed to be alone.

"It looks as though somebody forgot to step _over_ the trick step. Well, that's just pathetic. Even the first years don't even get stuck in the stairs anymore." Charles Avery smirked.

"Leave us alone Avery." Sirius said, dropping Remus's arm and standing between him and the two Slytherins.

"Or what?" He laughed. "One of you is stuck in a step and you can't possibly take on the two of us alone."

"Not so brave without Potter, are you?" Severus said, speaking up for the first time.

"Oh sod off Snivellus." Sirius shot back, rolling his eyes. He knew that the statement held no truth seeing as how he had stepped in front of Remus to protect his defenseless friend.

"Don't call me that." Severus barked. His earlier sardonic grin was completely gone.

"Or what?" Sirius mocked.

"Sirius, please." Remus muttered. He was still behind Sirius, blocked from the Slytherin's view. "I'm stuck in a step!"

"Calm down Remus." Sirius whispered over his shoulder. "I've got it under control." Remus swore under his breath but didn't say anything more.

While the two boys were conversing, Severus had pulled out his wand and marched down two steps so that he was closer to Sirius.

"Do not call me-"

"Snivellus?" Sirius asked. Before he could blink, Severus shouted out a hex and Sirius found himself flying backward, down the stairs and crashing into a suit of armor. Sirius moaned and rolled over on his back.

"Sirius!" Remus shouted, trying desperately to free his leg so that he could go and see if he was alright.

"And what should we do to this one?" Avery chuckled. "From what I hear, his family is quite the disgrace. You know his mum is a muggle?" Severus scowled for a moment, but neither Avery nor Remus noticed.

"Filthy half-blood." He spat out, his voice full of contempt. Avery laughed and raised his wand.

"I think I want a turn now." He said slowly. Remus glanced over his shoulder, but found Sirius still lying on the ground. He appeared to be rolling round on his back and clutching his right arm. Remus knew that it was hopeless to think that Sirius could get up and help him.

"Now, what should I do to you?" Avery asked stepping down so that he was only two stairs higher than Remus. It suddenly dawned on Remus that it was only his leg that was stuck in the step, his wand was in his robe pocket and he could still use it. He tried to move his hand over to his pocket as inconspicuously as he could, but Severus saw what he was doing and raised his wand as well.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He said icily.

With both wands now pointed directly at his heart, Remus knew that he was completely helpless. He was going to be knocked unconscious and sucked into the stairs. Nobody would ever find him and his parents would be worried sick. His mum wouldn't know what to do, she wouldn't be able to call the police or get together a search party and his dad would give up after Dumbledore told him that he had no clue what became of his son. Or worse still, his dad wouldn't give up and he would exhaust what little money they had left to try and find him.

His thoughts were interrupted by a new voice. "What in Merlin's name do you two think you're doing?" Remus looked behind him to see who had said this and was more than shocked at what he saw.

* * *

><p>"It's come!" Lily called, running into her dorm where Savanna, Mary and Coral sat on the large square rug in the middle of the room, doing homework and chatting.<p>

"What's come, Lily?" Coral asked with a bemused look on her face. The red head was out of breath and looked slightly disheveled.

Lily's answer came out extremely rushed and scattered. "Carlee's letter of course. I mean it's taken her two weeks to write and I wasn't sure if she was going to write back at all. I suppose I can't blame her for taking two weeks though, right? It took me two _months_ to figure out what to say to her. But it's come! I can't believe it!" She ran over to the girls and sat down between Savanna and Mary, Coral quickly moved over behind Lily so she could read the letter over her shoulder.

"_Hey Lily,"_ Lily read aloud. She had, of course, already read the letter before she decided to share it's contents with the other girls, so she knew that there wasn't anything in the letter that Carlee wouldn't mind the others knowing. "_Thank you for writing to me. I know that I had been ignoring your owls the last half of summer but… I didn't really know what to say then. A lot has been happening, even since the start of term and I don't really think that it would be wise to write it in a letter. The American Ministry is doing some odd things, maybe you've noticed. _

_Sorry for the cryptic-ness. And for that made up word. Or maybe it's a real word, I would go and find out, but I am currently in a barn. So going to find out would require quite a bit of effort. And I am being lazy today. You're lucky I have the energy to write you more than this. _

_Anyway, I miss you too. A lot more then I could expressive in a letter. Actually I miss all of the girls. So, if you could tell them, that would be splendid. _

_I don't really know when I am going to come back to school. I am trying to take things one day at a time. And, for the time being at least, I am needed here at home. _

_Okay, on to more trivial matters. (Well, if you can get more trivial than made up words.) One of my horses, Banana, just had a baby. And yes, my horse's name is really 'Banana,' don't judge me. I have named it Merlin, simply because I can. It's pretty cute, I should send you a picture or something. Maybe later, I don't know where my Grandma keeps the camera." _

The letter went on for another few pages, detailing all the trivial matters of Carlee's life but it was the last few paragraphs that really caught Lily's attention.

"_In case you didn't know, I have an older sister named Bridget. I am telling you this because she just had her second child! I am a double aunt! Just to let you know, that is not a real phrase, I made it up. Her name is Amber and she is as cute as a button. Now I have THREE nieces! And a nephew. So really, I am a quadruple aunt, but hey. Let's not get to technical. Remind me to send you pictures of them too. _

_Okay, enough about me. Tell me about you guys! What have you been up to? (Besides studying that is.) What have the boys been up to? If you don't want to tell me fine, I will have to ask them myself. What's the new DADA teacher like? How are lessons? What are we learning? And don't just recite what's in our text books because I have those and I have already read them. Anything else you think I would want to know, tell me! _

_I have to go know, Chris wants me to help him with some such nonsense. I love you Lily, and I hope to hear from you soon. _

_Love, _

_Carlee."_ Lily put the letter on her lap and sighed quite contently. Carlee wasn't over at her house sulking and being miserable. She was playing with her horses, hanging out with her new niece, and baking with her grandmother (something else she had mentioned in the letter.)

"I think we should all write her back right now." Mary cried, jumping up and running over to her trunk to search for an adequate amount of parchment.

"Alright." Lily agreed, though she was already writing her own separate letter in her head. Carlee had started telling Lily about her family, something that she had never done last year. She had gone out of her way to get out of talking about her family, and here she was, talking about her sister and her niece as though it were the most natural thing in the world. It was a bit strange.

* * *

><p>The sun was shinning beautifully on the grounds of Hogwarts. The clear sky revealed the purest blue and the sunlight dances across the black lake. Everywhere one looked they would find a picturesque scene that could only be described in the most eloquent poetry. Everything seemed to stand still and move lazily under the wide sky.<p>

That was the case in all parts of the castle grounds except the Qudditch pitch. It was a blur of motion as fourteen students dressed in red and gold darted back and forth atop broom sticks. Smaller blurs could be seen passed from student to student.

James had sweat dripping from his brow, but he simply used the back of his hand to brush it away before it could drop into his eyes or on his glasses. He was hot and tired but he was also extremely happy. That was the only way to describe his mood whenever he was on a broom. But right know he was playing a scrimmage match with the reserve players of the Gryffindor team.

Seth was off with the reserve seeker and they were taking turns throwing gold golf balls in the air for the others to catch. Emery was at one end of the pitch, the reserve keeper at the other. He and Rodger were currently practicing a new strategy while Cleo played defense. The other three chasers were flying around waiting for their turn with the Quaffle but this happened very little during these games. Emery would yell at them for it later but they were not really focused on the scrimmage.

Cleo and Rodger were honestly impressed with James' talent and were taking turns playing defense against him and the other. They would occasionally make him play defense against them, but he gained too much ground on them for their liking.

"Potter! Look out!" Edward House yelled, as a bludger came flying towards James' head. It had been sent astray by Adam McKinnon, the head girl's younger brother and a reserve beater.

The bludger hit the front of James' broom and sent him spinning through the air. He still had the Quaffle tucked under his arm, which made staying on his broom much harder than it would have been. After a few moments, he gained control of his broom again and tossed the Quaffle to Cleo who was at his right side.

"You alright?" She asked. James nodded and then looked at the front of his broom. He let out a moan. It had a crack right down the center. His Comet 260 was ruined.

"I am sorry." Adam said frantically, flying up to the small crowd that gathered around James. James bit down on his tongue and nodded his head.

"It's okay." He said in a clipped tone. "It was just an accident."

"Aw, bloody hell. I broke your broom."

"You did what!" Emery shouted, pulling up next to James and inspecting the damage herself. "The first game is next bloody week! You better find yourself a new broom, Potter. And you McKinnon, why did you lose control of your ball in the first place! You're supposed to prevent the bludgers from hitting our players and their _brooms_!" She shouted.

"You can use my broom, James." Adam said quietly. Emery was still shouting at him as she flew away, but most of her words were indecipherable. James shook his head.

"It's okay. I've got an extra broom I can use. It's an old Clean Sweep, but it'll be fine."

"Really James, mine is the new Nimbus. You can use it. I broke yours, it's the least I can do." The blonde insisted.

"Alright." James agreed. He only did so because he hadn't ridden a Nimbus before and wanted to see if they were worth the fuss.

"What in Merlin's name do you two think you're doing?" Remus looked behind him to see who was speaking and was more than shocked at what he saw.

It was Daniel Baker. He had his wand drawn but still at his side and he looked affronted at the sight before him. Remus didn't think that this situation could get much worse.

The looks of horror that had found their way on Avery and Snape's faces had left when they realized who was talking.

"We are just messing with some Gryffindors." Avery answered in a proud voice.

"Why?" Daniel asked, raising his eyebrows. He cut Avery off before he could say anything else though. "What would possess you to attack anybody? And when that somebody is stuck in a step nonetheless!" He shouted angrily, and walked up to Remus after he had finished. He reached down and grabbed Remus's arm and pulled him up. He felt his leg become unstuck as the stair let him free.

"Thank you." He muttered. Daniel nodded.

"Now you two better get out of my sight before I decide to tell a teacher what you were doing." Avery was too dumbstruck to do anything but stare at Daniel but Snape seemed to have his wits about him. He grabbed Avery by the sleeve of his robes, pulled him down the stairs, brushing past Remus as he, not making eye contact.

"Sirius?" Remus asked, after the Slytherins had rounded the corner.

"He broke my arm. That sniveling twat! He broke my arm!" Sirius said all of this with his eyes squeezed tight and his teeth clench together. "I am going to get him back for this."

"Let me see." Daniel said, coming up next to Sirius, kneeling down beside him. Sirius opened his eyes and looked at the older boy in shock.

"What are you doing?" He asked, instead of showing him his arm.

"I am trying to help you." Daniel said, not meeting his eyes.

"Yes, but why? You punched me in the face earlier this year."

"I know. I'm sorry. Let me see your arm." Sirius frowned, but showed him his arm nonetheless. Daniel was silent for a moment as he ran a finger up and down the length of Sirius's forearm. Remus regarded his actions with interest and wondered what it was that he could be trying to do. He then lifted his wand and pointed the tip at the middle of Sirius's arm. A warm yellow light seeped out of the wand and spread over Sirius's arm. There was a small popping noise, which caused Sirius to flinch, and then Daniel pulled his wand away and stood up.

"That was brilliant." Sirius said, flexing his arm and pushing himself off the floor. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"I have si- five, five brothers. My dad used that spell quite a bit back before we were all in school." He coughed and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking anywhere but at the two boys in front of him. "Well, I should go." Sirius nodded.

"See you round." Remus said, as Daniel started to walk away.

Sirius pulled Remus's sleeve and the two of them started back up the stairs, both being extra careful to jump over the trick step.

"That was a little strange." Sirius said once they were two floors higher.

"A little?" Remus asked incredulously. "I was almost swallowed by a staircase, obliterated by Slytherins and then saved by an old enemy all in about five minutes."

"Okay, so it was really weird." Sirius amended.

When they got to the common room they found some empty chairs at the far end, away from the fire. They only had to wait about ten minutes before James came through the porthole. The first thing that Sirius noticed was the lack of a broom stick.

"Where's your broom?" Sirius asked, as James came up and sat down in the third and final empty chair next to Remus and Sirius. James made a sort of moan and ran his hand through his windblown hair.

"It's ruined." James said heatedly. "I got hit with a bludger by one of the reserve beaters, Adam McKinnon."

"What?" Sirius asked, eyes wide. "You're going to have to use the old Clean Sweep in next week's game?"

"Naw." James said, almost smiling now. "Adam said I can use his Nimbus."

"Really? That was nice of him." Remus said. James and Sirius didn't seem to notice.

"His _new_ Nimbus?" Sirius whispered. James nodded. "Oh my Merlin."

"Right you are, my friend." James smirked.

"So, you're going to fall in love with the Nimbus and then write home to mummy and daddy asking for one?"

"I like my Comet, but we'll see how things go." James said. Remus rolled his eyes, he didn't quite understand their obsession with brooms and Quidditch. Sure the game was fun enough to watch, but James could go on for hours about it.

Just then, they all heard a pecking on the window beside them. "What's an owl doing delivering mail so late in the afternoon?" Sirius asked, getting up and opening the latch so it could fly in.

"Who's it for?" James asked, but he hadn't needed to. The bird flew in and landed directly in-between James and Remus. Sirius came back and sat in his chair and the bird adjusted itself so it remained directly in the center of all three of them.

"I think it's for us." Remus said, reaching out and untying the letter from the bird's outstretched leg. "You have to be joking." He whispered, looking over the large loopy, semi-messy handwriting on the front of the envelope. All three of their names were written in purple ink with a smiley face at the end.

"What is it?" James asked. Sirius, being next to Remus, saw the ink color and the handwriting and snatched the letter from Remus's hands before he could stop him.

"It's from Carlee." Sirius said, ripping the envelope open and pulling out the enclosed letter.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And we end with a cliffhanger. I have no idea what that letter is going to say, just to let you know. I am going to have to figure that out. It was just about time that there was some sort of communication between the boys and their estranged friend. I would really like some reviews. I love them, they are my bread and butter. The button is directly below here. <strong>

**~Craz**


	8. Chapter Eight: The Wrath of the Wolf

**AN: Hey everybody. Here is your Sunday update. There is a lot of Carlee in this, as well as Wolf Remus. I think you can guess that that is where the title came from. Hope you enjoy. :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight: The Wrath of the Wolf<strong>

Remus's stomach twisted into guilty knots as he watched Sirius rip open Carlee's letter. It had been more then two months, almost three, and he hadn't written to her once. He hadn't even attempted to write to her. He had actually distracted James and Sirius from the fact that she wasn't at school anymore so that he would have an easier time during the full moon.

The owl that had delivered the letter nipped at Remus's fingers before hooting softly and stretching out its wings. It was obviously expecting something. "Do either of you have anything for the owl? This one did fly all the way from America." Remus said quietly. Sirius was still in the process of getting the letter out of the envelope, which he was making look a lot harder than it ought to have been.

"Yeah, I think so." James said, reaching down to his bag and fumbling through a few pockets before finding an owl treat. "Don't know how old it is, but it's all I have." He said, reaching his hand out and letting the great black owl take the treat. It hooted in thanks before taking flight out the window. Sirius finally got the letter out and threw the envelope aside.

"Could she have written any more?" He asked, inspecting the rather thick stack of papers in his hand. "_Dear James, Sirius and Remus, I wrote you all your own letters, that is why this is so thick, but I thought it better to just send them all at once. Aria seems to be the only other bird I could find that was up for a trip across the Atlantic. I wrote to Lily, that's why I had to send Aria to you guys, she isn't the nicest, but she is a fast flyer. Send your responses back with her. I told her to hang out in the Owlery. Okay, read your letters now."_ Sirius quickly sorted the stack of papers into three different, smaller stacks and handed them out.

Remus took his in his hand and watched James and Sirius start reading theirs without hesitating. He sighed and looked down at his. He unfolded it and was slightly surprised to see some photos fall into his lap. He decided to worry about them later, and read his letter first.

"_Hey Remus, I am really sorry that I didn't show up this year. I don't know how you are handling James and Sirius by yourself. I will come back as soon as I can. I promise._

_Formalities aside, there are probably some things I should tell you. _

_Numbro uno: DO NOT WORRY ABOUT PETER! I know you fairly well, which means that I know this is bugging you. Don't let it, he will come around, and even if he doesn't it will all be all right I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's the advice that I have to give. _

_Number two: I am okay. I probably should have put this as number one, but whatever. I am… upset, distraught, distressed, livid, and at times hysterical, but I am okay. I know that that doesn't make any sense at all, but trust me. _

_#3: The pictures I gave to you in your letter, those are for you and Lily, there are doubles of everything. I would have sent them to her, but it's a long flight so if you could give them to her, I would be forever grateful. I think you know why I gave them to you and not one of the other two."_ That was the last numbered thing that she told him. The rest of the letter was trite and light. He soaked up every word without actually believing much. He _knew_ that she wasn't okay. She might be very good at pretending when she was on the other side of the world, but she wasn't okay.

With Ella gone, Remus didn't know what Carlee was doing. Carlee was the type of sister who would walk Ella to her desk in class just to make sure that she got there safely. She always made sure that she was settled on the train before she would come and join the boys. She was_ the_ most protective sister Remus had ever seen.

When he finished his letter, Sirius and James were still reading theirs. He now felt even worse than he had earlier. He picked up the pictures and looked at them.

The first one was of a colt. It had a long straggly mane and was standing proudly with its little knobby knees quavering slightly. There was a blonde boy that looked about Remus's age standing next to the colt. He had what looked like an over sized baby bottle in his hand and was smiling at the baby animal. Remus surmised that this must be Chris and the baby horse Merlin that Carlee had mentioned in the letter.

Carlee was actually in the second picture. Her hair was shorter than it had been when she left his house earlier that summer, and now fell just above her shoulders. It was still very wavy but seemed wilder. She was cooing at a baby wrapped in pink blankets and smiling. The smile didn't reach her eyes but Remus could tell that she was trying. She looked tired.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. James and Sirius were going to finish reading at any moment now and were going to want to talk about this. Remus didn't want to talk. He wanted the knots in his stomach to go away and he wanted Carlee to just be here so that everything could go back to normal. He heard voices on the other side of the room and looked. It was Lily and her friends. Sighing again, he pushed himself off the chair and made his way towards her with the pictures in his hand.

"Here." Remus said, putting his hand out without explaining his unusual behavior. He didn't ever talk to Lily.

"What is it?" Lily asked, taking the photos nonetheless.

"They are from Carlee, she asked me to give them to you so she wouldn't have to send another bird."

"Oh!" Lily smiled, now looking down at the pictures and laughing. "It is a cute little thing, isn't it?" She asked, showing the other girls the pictures. Remus didn't know if she was referring to the baby or the horse, but he didn't really care. He nodded at Lily and returned to his chair. James was now looking at some pictures that he had received in his letter, Sirius was doing the same.

"She does have a big house." James muttered, to himself most likely. "Bigger than mine."

"I told you." Sirius said, back without looking away from the pictures in his hands. "Look at this." He said turning to Remus and showing him one of the pictures in his hand. It was taken at Hogwarts, down by the lake. It was of James, Sirius, Remus and Carlee. They were under their tree doing homework and laughing. "She said that Dylan took this. There are a few others too. Apparently he liked to take pictures." There was another one of the four friends at the Gryffindor table and a third of them all walking down the hall with their arms around each other.

They all traded pictures and soon Remus had James'. There was a picture of a large yellow house. It was huge so the word house didn't really fit. It was definitely the size of a mansion, but it looked like a house. It had a front porch that seemed to wrap all the way around the house and a garden in front of the porch rail. The windows had flower boxes on them and there were cobblestone paths leading up to the front door, which was a double door and dull red. It looked comfortable and lived in and huge at the same time.

The other pictures showed large barns, silos, garages, fenced areas where the animals were either running round or eating, a large garden and a lake. Remus's stomach was getting tighter and tighter and he didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to sit there.

"I'm really glad that she wrote to us. I had no idea what to write for her." James said. "What did she tell you two?" Luckily Sirius jumped in.

"She told me that doesn't really know what happened." Remus almost smiled at this. Carlee would make sure to tell Sirius about what had happened. Last year he had become upset when she didn't tell him details of her life. Like the fact that she had five siblings in the school and three or four cousins. He had been quite upset with her for withholding that information. "It was just a normal day that turned 'very ugly, very fast.'" He quoted the letter and then shrugged. "She said that she'll send over some American newspaper clippings in her next letter."

"Did she say anything about who it was that killed her family?" James inquired.

"No. She doesn't even mention that she was there when it happened." Sirius said, scanning over it again to make sure. "Though I can understand why she left that out."

"What did she tell you, Remus?"

"What? Oh, that she is okay and her sister had a baby." He said, trying to think back to more of what the letter said. "Her horse did too."

"Anything else?" Sirius asked when Remus went quiet.

"She gave me some pictures to give to Lily." He added lamely. "Why haven't we written to her?" Remus asked suddenly.

"I tried." James said without hesitation. "You told me that we wouldn't know what to write." That just made Remus feel even worse.

OoOoO

The next day, Remus was feeling a bit fatigued. The full moon was the following night and he knew that it was going to be a rough one.

"Well we should probably start working on Carlee's letters." James said as they made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Yeah, after the letters she sent us, she is going to be expecting novels from us." Sirius sighed.

"Or she was already expecting them." Remus mumbled from behind James and Sirius. They were walking slightly ahead of him.

"What was that, Remus?" James asked, turning his head.

"Nothing." Remus said. He still felt awful. It wasn't just the fact that he hadn't written to Carlee or the fact that he had tried to make Sirius and James forget that she was absent so that he would be happier. He now felt bad because she was over in a different country, writing to them, pretending to be fine. Remus didn't want Carlee to do that for him. He didn't want her to pretend that she was 'okay.' He had never pretended that he wasn't in pain when she was around, or had hidden his fears when she asked.

Maybe that was it though. He didn't ask. He had assumed that she wouldn't want him to ask her how she was, that was the first thing that everyone asked a person after finding out that they had just gone through a terrible experience. He hadn't thought about the fact that the majority of the family that actually cared about her had been murdered and that nobody had probably thought to ask her how she was.

His head felt heavier than usual and the day passed in a blur.

The next thing he knew, James and Sirius were helping him down to the hospital wing and Madam Pomfry was giving him a rather strong sleeping draught.

* * *

><p>Severus Snape was sitting in the corner of the Slytherin common room, pouring over an advanced potions book, when he heard the stone wall, which acted as the entrance, slide open. He looked up briefly and saw Daniel Baker with his younger sister Jane following him. Jane was a third year and extremely bossy. Her thick, dull brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun and her shoes clicked angrily on the stone floor.<p>

"I don't really care what you do." Severus heard Daniel sigh. "You're thirteen, practically grown up. That is what you told me, right?"

"Daniel, you're my brother. Act like it." Jane muttered.

"I don't know what you want me to do."

"I want you to go and talk to Professor Kettleburn. Tell him that I am a lady and should not be expected to _touch_ a creature as utterly repulsive as a _glumbumble_." She said the word as if she were swearing and Severus had to hide his eye roll behind his book.

"It's _Care of Magical Creatures_, you're supposed to take care of magical creatures. I am not going to go and tell your teacher that you are too much of a pain to do what you are supposed to do." Daniel walked away from the shocked girl and settled himself into a silver chair by the fireplace.

"Dad would never have let you talk to me like that." Jane said after a moment of silence.

"Two things." Daniel said, holding up two fingers on his right hand. "First off, Dad is dead so it doesn't really matter, does it? Secondly, I am pretty sure he would agree with me." Jane screamed without opening her mouth and stomped her foot.

"Why won't you just do what I ask you?"

"Oh please. You don't really want me to do that. Go complain to somebody else."

"Why won't you just do it?"

Why are you so annoying?" He countered. This time, she didn't respond in anyway and marched towards the hallway leading to the girls dorms. "What are you looking at?" Daniel snapped at Severus, who hadn't realized he was staring at Daniel.

Severus hadn't said anything to Daniel since the other day when he had stopped Avery and himself from hexing Remus. He had also made a very valiant effort to avoid the fifth year entirely.

He muttered something incoherent to Daniel and put his book back up to block his face.

"What are you doing?" A different voice said after a few moments of silence. Severus didn't have to look to know who this voice belonged to. Chelsea Keenin was one of the second year Slytherin girls. She was oddly friendly towards Severus but he didn't particularly care for her.

"Nothing, Keenin." He said. "I am just reading."

"I can see that." She giggled. "I mean, what are you reading _for_?"

"Nothing, Keenin."

"Come on now. Talk to me." She said, pulling the book down so he was looking at her.

"Why?" He asked curtly.

"You don't have to be rude." She smiled at him. She had fawn colored hair that went down past her shoulders and hazel eyes. It wasn't that he found her unattractive, he just didn't really like her.

"There you are, Chelsie." Another girl joined the conversation. The only girl that could have made things worse for Severus. It was Danielle McCulloch, Chelsie's best friend. "I was wondering where you had gone to."

"I told you I was coming out here." Chelsie said, flipping her hair over her shoulder and looking pointedly at Severus.

"Well, it must have slipped my mind." Danielle said, rolling her bluish grey eyes.

"I am sure." Chelsie muttered.

"I'm going to leave now." Severus sighed, standing up and walking towards the wall. It slid open as he neared it and he pushed the tapestry that was on the other side open. Once in the corridor he felt much better.

He was going to just go to the library and hope that Lily would show up. She was the only girl that he actually liked.

He stalked down the hall keeping his eyes on the floor. He made it to the third floor without running into anybody at all, which in itself was an accomplishment because it was a Monday afternoon.

The two people he ran into on the third floor were James and Sirius. The moment Sirius spotted Severus, he drew his wand and marched up to him.

"What are you doing here?" Sirius commanded.

"None of your business. Now move out of my way."

"Are you going to break my arm again if I don't?"

"He did what?" James asked, pulling out his own wand and standing next to Sirius. He looked totally relaxed with the whole situation, except his eyes, which looked curiously at Sirius. If Severus hadn't known better, he would have thought that James was bored.

"I forgot to tell you." Sirius said, lowering his wand for a minute to turn towards James. "This git and Avery attacked me and Remus the other day on a staircase."

"Why?"

"That," Sirius said, turning back towards Severus. "Is a good question."

"I warned you." Severus said. He didn't know if this was the first time James was hearing about the incident or if this was just some sort of ploy. He found the need to defend his actions regardless. "You kept calling me that name."

"Snivellus?" James offered.

"Don't call me that." He muttered.

"Why not?"

"Of course you're all smug now." He sneered. He knew that he was outnumbered, but he couldn't help himself. They irked him to the point of madness. He just couldn't control it. "You've got your boyfriend with you."

James and Sirius both shot hexes at him at the same time. Two different hexes. When they collided, they mutated. Now instead of doing whatever they were supposed to, it made his face start to heat up and make popping noises. He looked down at his hands and saw that his skin had turned a bluish green color.

He didn't wait for James and Sirius to start laughing. He ran down the corridor towards the hospital wing and didn't look back.

* * *

><p>Remus groaned and rolled over in a pool of his own blood. Mornings in the Shrieking shack were awful for two main reasons.<p>

The first reason was that as Remus lay naked on the floor, he was freezing and there was nothing he could do to warm himself. He couldn't get his limbs to move so that he could go and get dressed or pull a blanket over himself. The bone chilling cold just enveloped him and he was helpless. All he could do was shiver to generate warmth. And when his muscles moved involuntarily like that, it hurt. A lot.

The second reason was because of the pain. He didn't like waiting for Madam Pomfry to come while he was conscious. It was nothing short of torture.

He knew that he had broken his arm again and most likely his leg. There was a sharp pain on his forehead and a lot of blood on his face. He could feel the dried blood on his cheeks and the still wet and warm blood sliding down his temple toward his ear.

His throat was sore too. It was always sore after a full moon, all the howling from the previous night had destroyed his throat. It was dry and scratchy and he really wanted a glass of cool water.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Remus heard the latch open and felt rather than saw, Madam Pomfry enter the room. He pretended to be asleep now, it was much less embarrassing to have her see him like this when he was unconscious or pretending to be.

"Oh dear." She said in a low mournful voice. Remus must have underestimated the extent of his injuries then. She flicked her wand and Remus was suddenly covered by a thick wool blanket and lifted onto a magically conjured stretcher. "Let's go and get you cleaned up, dear." She whispered to him as she levitated him out into the cool October morning.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, there is that. Tell me what you think. Click the Review button. <strong>

~Craz


	9. Chapter Nine: The Serpent and The Lion

**AN: Okay, Chapter nine. This one is... actually the whole story has been pretty dark in general. I am going to have to make a light, happy chapter. And soon. Okay, enjoy. :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Nine: The Serpent and The Lion<strong>

"Madam Pomfry, he's our best friend. We have to see him!" James tried desperately to explain. It was after Breakfast and they only had about fifteen minutes before they were supposed to go to class. They didn't have time to argue with her.

"I've already said no." She said. "Now, I am rather busy. Why don't you both go to class?"

"We have time." Sirius huffed.

"Well, I don't." With that, she turned away from them and walked to the back of the room. The boys followed her after a quick look at each other. Madam Pomfry ignored them for a minute, pretending to be preoccupied, sorting through some healing potions.

"We aren't going to go away." James said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

"You can stand there as long as you want." She said, without looking at him.

"Ah, come on Madam P." Sirius sighed.

"Pomfry." She corrected, grabbing a stack of towels and walking over to the other side of the room.

"You know that we could just walk into the room." Madam Pomfry gave James a look that said that she would like to see him try.

"Or you could let us in." Sirius amended quickly.

"He's asleep." She said, finally giving them some sort of reason. "He's asleep and it would be best if he stayed that way."

"We always come in and see him the morning after…" James trailed off.

"Well, you can't this time." She said, not meeting their eyes. "Now get out of the hospital wing before I go and get the Headmaster."

"Fine." Sirius said, giving up. "But we will be back at twelve."

"And you better le-" James got an elbow to the stomach from Sirius.

"We would appreciate it if you would allow us to see him." Sirius said, glaring at James and managing to look angelic and the same time.

"We'll see. Now off you go."

"Why won't she let us see him?" James asked, once they were out in the corridor. "She always lets us see him."

"Why are you asking me?" Sirius asked.

"I am just thinking out loud."

"It is strange, isn't it?"

"It is possible that he's just tired. I don't think he sleeps much when, you know."

"Do we have to go to class?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"We skipped Herbology on Monday."

"So."

"We can't just skip _all_ the time."

"Why?"

"Stop moaning. Professor Seresin would skin us alive if he knew we were skipping." James said.

"He wouldn't know." Sirius said confidently.

"If we both weren't there? I think he would work it out."

"Fine."

They walked the rest of the way in silence, taking the longer way so they wouldn't be too early. When they did finally make their way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, they were relieved to find that they were not the first ones to arrive. Though, they shouldn't have been.

Professor Seresin was quite a scary teacher. He had a hard face and a deep, rough voice that spoke words of praise only rarely. He rivaled McGonagall when it came to strictness, and wasn't as nice when it came to constructive criticism. When the students were doing something wrong, he told them in a no-nonsense tone and didn't bat an eyelash if the student burst into tears as Emma Abdulle, a second year Hufflepuff, had done during the first week of school.

Aside from being extremely harsh, critical, rude and frightening, his lessons were everybody's favorite, aside from Emma Abdulle's. They were fast paced, and exciting. By the third day of school, he had his second years doing spells on the third day of class.

There were a few Hufflepuffs scattered around and a few more Gryffindors. Not yet half the class but close.

Lily Evans just happened to be one of the Gryffindors who were lined up outside the door. James sighed but continued after Sirius. He was rather hoping that Severus hadn't mentioned the other day's incident. Unfortunately, luck didn't appear to be on his side.

"What's the matter with you two?" She asked spitefully, marching over to them with her hands on her hips.

"What are you talking about Lily?" Sirius asked, feigning innocence.

"He was asking for it." James shrugged. Lily's glare became even more pronounced and James felt his insides squirm, though he had no intention of letting her know.

"There were two of you. You ganged up on him." She said seethingly. .

"That didn't stop him and Avery from attacking me last Sunday." Sirius countered. She looked slightly taken back, this was obviously the first time she heard of this, but she recovered quickly.

"I doubt it." She said sharply.

"Why would I make that up?"

"I don't know. And even if that _were_ true, which it's not, that isn't any sort of justification for what you two did."

"He broke my arm Lils." Sirius sighed. "I wasn't just going to let it go."

"He did not break your arm." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Right, because Snivellus is such a saint." James muttered.

"Don't call him that." She snapped. "And he's better than you." James looked genuinely hurt by that, but Lily didn't see because she turned on her heel as soon as she had finished speaking and marched over to her friends.

"Sorry about that mate." Sirius said, clapping a hand on James' shoulder.

"He's not better than me." James said, mostly to himself. "He's not."

"Of course he's not. She's just deluded, that's all." Sirius assured him.

A few moments later, Professor Seresin opened the door and let them all take their seats. It looked as though today's lesson was going to be a lecture. The blackboard was out and the desks were lined up in neat rows. James and Sirius went towards the seats in the back left corner and pulled out their quills and parchment.

"Today's lesson is going to be about-" Seresin stopped speaking when he saw a hand go into the air. "Yes Mr. Green?"

"Sir, I was just wondering if you could talk about what happened yesterday. It was in the papers, but I don't really understand." Seresin sighed, leaned back on his desk with a thoughtful expression on his face. James and Sirius exchanged looks. They had no clue as to what event Eustace was referring. They had left the Great Hall before the mail came so that they could go to visit Remus in the Hospital Wing.

If any other student had asked Seresin to meander away from his original lesson plan, he would have given them a detention for interrupting and otherwise ignored them. Eustace Green was a special case though. The Hufflepuff had lost his mother during an attack last year and had to leave school to attend her funeral. During the same raid, he had also lost his grandparents, a few cousins and a family friend. Eustace was not the same person he had been a year ago. Many speculated that if he were to be sorted now, he would be put into Gryffindor.

"You saw the paper." Seresin finally replied, after taking a moment to collect his thoughts.

"Yes sir, but why can't the Ministry catch any of these 'raiders?'"

"I don't know how you expect me to know the answer to that." Seresin said, locking eyes with Eustace, probably hoping that the boy would back down. He didn't and Seresin gave another sigh. "Late last night, an Auror was found, murdered outside the Leaky Cauldron with a serpent painted on the wall behind him. This is the first time that the serpent has made an appearance, but the Ministry is fairly sure that it's the raiders because… Well, the Auror was a muggle-born and there were witnesses who said they saw some masked men leaving the alley."

"Who was it?" James asked, not bothering to raise his hand. Seresin looked like he was about to note that but shook his head and answered him instead.

"It was Willoughby Abrams." He shook his head and for a moment, his face looked softer than normal, but this was probably just a trick of the light. Seresin was not the sentimental type. "I knew him when he was a child."

"Abrams?" James asked. "My mum worked with him."

"You're mum works with all of the Aurors, Potter." Seresin barked.

"I mean I knew him. He used to come around for dinner sometimes." James said rather snappy. "Was he the only victim?"

"Yes. Don't you read the paper?"

"I didn't get mine this morning." James explained.

"Fine. If you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my original plan for today." He looked around the room, making sure that he wasn't going to be interrupted again. When nobody moved he started his lecture on the mechanics of a duel. It was rather intriguing but not many students were paying attention.

When the bell rang, James and Sirius gathered up their things and made their way to the door. Lily met them just before they reached the door, blocking their way.

"Did he really attack you with Charles Avery?" She said, choosing to ignore the affronted looks that she was receiving.

"Yes, Evans. Now please move." Sirius said.

"Why?"

"You're in our way." James said cheekily. Lily glared at him before turning her attention back to Sirius.

"I don't really try and figure out the inner workings of Snivellus's mind." Sirius sighed. "But it probably had something to do with the fact that Remus was stuck in a trick step and he knew he _could._"

"Remus was stuck in a step?" She asked, looking slightly horrified.

"If it makes you feel any better, Daniel Baker stopped them before they could attack Remus." Sirius shrugged. Lily looked absolutely appalled now.

"Remus?" She whispered.

"Yeah. Can you move now?" You're blocking the rest of the class." It was true. There were a few students behind James and Sirius waiting rather impatiently for them to move out of the way.

"That doesn't make it okay for you to attack him."

"I'm sure _he's_ sorry." Sirius said, jabbing his thumb at James.

"Terribly so." James nodded.

"You two are horrible." Lily said, rolling her eyes and walking out the door.

"You're not too bad yourself." James called after her. The two boys walked out of the door quickly, allowing everybody else to leave the classroom and started towards their next class.

"What does your mum do? I thought she worked on the St. Mungo's board, or something like that." Sirius said.

"She did last year." James nodded. "After the raids started, she applied for her original job again. She used to work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She's the head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad again. Dad's not exactly happy about it, but she doesn't have to do much field work. She only started working at St. Mungo's because of me anyway. She needed a job with 'reasonable' hours." He said, putting air quotes to show that this was his mum's choice of words. "But with me at Hogwarts all year, she can go back without feeling guilty."

"I think that it's bloody brilliant that your mum is head of the M.L.E.S."

"I'd feel better about it if people weren't dropping dead every other day." James said quietly. Sirius smiled sadly at his friend and didn't say anything more on the topic.

* * *

><p>Remus was sitting up in his bed at eleven o'clock, staring at the wall on the other side of his little room and trying to ignore the blood stained cloth wrapped around his leg. He hurt everywhere and it was better if he didn't think about it. Madam Pomfry was trying to heal him quickly, but she didn't want to make any mistakes or become careless so she was doing things by the book. This meant that she couldn't really give him another dose of the pain potion for another forty-five minutes. He had already exceeded the maximum dosage for a twenty-four hour period. He was starting to wish that he would have waited a bit longer to come down yesterday.<p>

The Prophet was sitting beside him on the bedside table, much to Madam Pomfry's dismay. He had begged her to leave her edition with him. She had made the mistake of bringing it in with her when she came in this morning to clean the gash on his forehead.

He didn't know Willoughby Abrams but the story had upset him nonetheless. The serpent painted on the wall up above him was unnerving as well. In the magical community, snakes and serpents had always been a symbol of dark magic or a source of evil. Speaking to snakes, or parseltongue, was a sign of a dark wizard. Even in the muggle world, snakes weren't a good sign.

The masks had always been a symbol of the raiders, something that instilled fear into the public. And now there was this Serpent.

Remus's head was throbbing.

He reached over and took the glass of water off the table and brought it up to his lips. The cooled liquid felt nice on his sore throat but it didn't stop the pain, and the pain that reaching over to grab the glass caused his arm made it almost not worth it. _Almost_.

"How are you dear?" Madam Pomfry said, as she walked into the room, closing the door behind her.

"Just trying to make it another forty minutes." He replied dryly.

"Only thirty-five minutes actually." She smiled at him while putting a hand to his forehead. "Your fever is going down."

"It usually does." He muttered. He didn't know where his attitude was coming from, but he felt bad as soon as the words left his mouth. The matron gave him and odd look but didn't comment.

"Your friends said that they are going to be here at twelve. You want to try and get some sleep before then." It was supposed to sound like a question, but it didn't. Remus knew that she was really telling him that if he didn't get some sleep now, she wasn't going to let James and Sirius come in.

"Of course." He said. "But only on… two conditions."

"Oh?" She smiled at him.

"Yes. You have to wake me up in thirty-two minutes for the potion, and then again when James and Sirius arrive." She nodded.

"We'll see."

"No. Wake me up at twelve. I want to see them." Again, he was being harsh. What was wrong with him?

"Alright. Now if you don't stop snapping at me-"

"I'm sorry." He interrupted. "Really, I don't know what's wrong with me."

"That's alright. Now get some sleep."

"Yes madam." Remus said, laying down and pulling the covers up to his chin.

"Good boy." She said, patting his head.

Remus didn't fall asleep but he pretended to.

* * *

><p>Lily was in the library waiting for Severus. She had asked him to meet her there during lunch. She hadn't been able to talk to him earlier, because they didn't have a class together until after lunch and even then she wouldn't be able to actually talk to him.<p>

She didn't want to believe what Sirius and James had told her until she heard his version. She didn't want to believe that Sev would do that. He wasn't like that. He didn't just attack people. The whole idea was completely preposterous.

She heard the door to the library open and turned and saw Severus walk in.

"Hi." He said, sliding into the chair next to Lily.

"Did you get into a fight with Sirius and Remus?" She was blunt. It was both a curse and a blessing. Right now… it was useful.

"What?" He asked, completely taken back. Lily didn't fail to notice that he didn't deny it. She sighed.

"I said, did you get into a fight with Sirius and Remus?"

"Where did you hear that?"

"You aren't answering me." He didn't say anything and looked down. She didn't want to take that as confirmation, she wanted to hear him say it. "Sev."

"Does it matter?" He asked sharply, taking her by surprise.

"Of course it matters." She said

"No it doesn't."

"It does." She said a bit louder than she meant to. "If you did then you are no better than James and Sirius. If you attacked somebody who was _stuck_ in a stair, that makes you worse than them."

"You don't mean that."

"Give me an answer." Lily said, ignoring his last statement.

"Yes. I got into a fight with Sirius. I didn't attack Remus."

"You broke Sirius's arm."

"_He_ turned my skin green." He said as though it was the obvious explanation.

"Yeah, after." She muttered. She didn't know why it suddenly seemed okay, but Sirius and James turning his skin green didn't seem all that bad any more. "Were you going to attack Remus?"

"I wasn't." He said quickly.

"Were you going to let Avery attack Remus?" She asked. Her knowledge of whathad happened was clearly shocking him.

"Are you listening to rumors now?" He asked. "Rumors spread by _Black, _and _Potter_ no less."

"I can't believe you." She said, her face flushing to match her hair. "Why?"

"Everybody thinks they're perfect." Severus muttered. "They aren't."

"Nobody is perfect." Lily sighed. "And I can list off a great number of people who think Sirius and James are at the opposite end of the spectrum." He smiled at her, but she wasn't having any of it. "If Carlee was here she would make you apologize." She snapped, effectively wiping the smile from his face.

"She's not here." He mumbled.

"No, but I am." She said, raising her eyebrow.

"I am not apologizing to them." Severus said. "I am sorry that it happened because it upset you. I will try not to let it happen again." Lily thought it over. He was her best friend and she didn't even like Sirius. Why was she so angry in the first place. Sirius and James were awful to him, he was a boy. James and Sirius being awful plus Severus being a boy would explain why it ended in violence. "He's my best friend." She thought, as she looked at the sincerely apologetic face before her. She finally decided that his offer was the best she was going to get, even if she did decide to sit here and argue the point until dawn, and nodded.

"Alright. If it never happens again, I will forgive you." She said sternly. "But only this once."

"Of course." He smiled.

If only she knew how many times she would have this conversation in the next four years, she might have acted slightly differently.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And there we are. I think that it is much easier to make Snape and Lily fight than it is to make James and Lily fight. Especially when they are 12! What do twelve year olds fight about? Okay... don't answer that. I know the answer. But still. Anyway, let me know what you think. The next chapter is going to be the first Quidditch game. Fun fun fun. :D<strong>

**~Craz**


	10. Chapter Ten: Fights of Friends and Foes

**AN: Hello people of the world, how are you this fine Sunday? I am here to give you Chapter Ten. You are going to get some L/J in this chapter that I hope isn't to sudden or anything like that. Hope you enjoy. :)**

**Stuff that you should know: James and Lily don't really get along(shocker, I know), Remus had a really rough time last night and is now fairly messed up. James' first Quidditch game is coming up, Alice Fortescue is friends with Lily and her friends, an Auror names Willoughby Abrams was murdered by the 'raiders' with a serpent painted on the wall behind him, and yeah. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten: Fights Between Friends and Foes<strong>

Twelve o'clock couldn't have come any slower. DADA past quickly enough but, after listening to Professor Binns drone on for an hour and twenty minutes, James and Sirius were in a hypnotic state as they walked towards the Hospital Wing.

"I hope she lets us see him." James yawned.

"She'd better." Sirius said.

"You were the one being nice to her earlier." James reminded him with a smirk.

"Well, I won't be so forgiving this time. I am bloody bored out of my mind and I want to see Remus." Sirius stamped his foot and James laughed at him.

"I'm sure he missed you too, Sirius."

"Thanks James, I needed to hear that." Sirius sighed dramatically, placing his hand on his heart. They continued to joke around until they reached the Hospital Wing.

"Hi, Madam Pomfry." James waved at the matron who was at the back counter sorting out bed sheets.

"Hello boys. He's awake now." She nodded towards Remus's door. "Don't upset him." She added sternly as they made their way across the room.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Sirius winked.

James opened the door and Sirius slipped in before him. He rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless. "Child." He muttered under his breath.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Sirius shrugged. "Hey Remmie-Poo! I've missed you!" Remus cringed at the nickname and instantly regretted this action. He had let Sirius see that the name bothered him, so this was definitely not the last time he would hear it. "Ha, that rhymed. I'm ever so clever." He laughed.

"What happened to you while we were walking down here?" James asked, chuckling at his strange friend.

"James dear, you have nothing to fear." He said, rhyming yet again.

"That's great." James said, shaking his head fondly.

"What happened to your face?" Sirius asked suddenly, once he on the other side of Remus and the gash became visible.

"Wha- oh. I scratched myself." He said, without meeting the other boy's gaze.

"Did you have a panic attack?" James asked, assuming that Remus had scratched himself while he was human. Remus never gave them reason to believe otherwise. He had told them at the beginning of last year that he had panic attacks sometimes and forgot himself. These 'panic attacks,' were the reason that he would become randomly injured.

"No." Remus said, not finding it in himself to lie.

"Then what happened?" Sirius asked.

"It was…" He didn't know how they would react, or if he wanted them to know. He swallowed hard. "It was the wolf."

"What wolf?" Sirius asked dumbly. Then comprehension dawned on him but he still looked confused. "You mean you did that to yourself while _you_ were a wolf?" Remus nodded.

Images of Remus sitting in a hospital bed, his leg in a plaster cast or his arm in a sling flashed before James' eyes. The scratches Remus had had on his face when Sirius and James met him on the train last year and all the bruises on his arms.

"It doesn't happen a lot, does it?" Sirius asked, presumably reaching the same conclusion as James. Remus sighed.

"It happens more than I would like it to." He answered.

"So you don't have panic attacks?" James asked.

"Not really."

"And you don't sleep walk?" Sirius asked, that being another excuse he had fed them last year.

"No, I don't sleep walk."

"So, the wolf does all that to you?" Sirius said, noticing that Remus's arm was also wrapped in bandages. He nodded.

The boys were silent for a moment while James and Sirius processed this new information. "Why?" They asked Remus almost simultaneously.

"It wants to get out of the shack, it wants to hunt." Remus whispered.

"Can't Dumbledore find somewhere else for you to transform?" James asked. "Somewhere you can't hurt yourself?"

"I don't think it would matter where he put me." Remus sighed.

"It's not fair." Sirius nearly shouted.

"Can we just talk about something else?" Remus pleaded.

"You have to go through this every month and nobody's trying to help you." Sirius continued, ignoring Remus.

"It's unjust." James agreed. "You're just a kid! There has to be _something_ that _somebody_ can do." He started pacing up and down the room. Sirius looked over at him suddenly with an inspired look in his eyes. "What?" James asked.

"Something _we_ could do." James smiled.

"Of course."

"No." Remus said quietly.

"We can go to the library and look through-"

"I can get the cloak from my trunk and we can look in the restricted section too."

"There has to be something."

"No."

"Probably. I mean, werewolves have been around for a long time."

"Somebody had to have found some way to help."

"NO!" He shouted, effectively grabbing Sirius and James' attention. They had been standing about a foot away from each other with feverish looks on their faces. "You are _not_ going to do _anything_. You don't understand. I am _dangerous_."

"Remus-" James started.

"No. I am dangerous. Not now of course, but when the moon is full. I am not me when I transform. I am the wolf. I lose _my _mind. I can't control myself. You can't do anything. My parents have tried for years, there is _nothing_ that you can do."

"Okay, calm down." James said, sitting down on the bed and putting a hand on his uninjured arm.

"We can look." Sirius said. Remus glared at him.

"I really don't want you to."

"What did I tell you two?" Madam Pomfry shouted, swinging the door open and rushing inside. "'Don't upset him.' That was the only rule that I gave you."

"Sorry, Madam Pomfry." James said, glancing back and forth between Remus and Sirius who were attempting to stare each other down, and Remus was not giving in.

"Leave, now. Both of you." She said, pointing at the door. James sighed but got off of Remus's bed and moved to the door.

"Sirius." He said, pausing at the door.

"It wouldn't hurt. To look I mean." Sirius said in a quiet voice. "We just want to help."

"Don't." Remus said resolutely. Sirius didn't say anything and followed James through the door.

"I don't care what he says. We're still going to look." James nodded, but not quite as angrily. "We're his friends, what does he expect us to do?"

"I don't know." James sighed. "Let's head up to the library right now. We have Potions after lunch and then I have Quidditch, so we only have about an hour."

"M'kay."

* * *

><p>"Lily?" Savanna sighed from behind her transfiguration's book after dinner. They were trying to get all their homework done early so that they wouldn't have any left to do this weekend. "How do you manage to get top marks on every assignment? I can't even manage to find the answer to number one." Lily leaned over the desk patiently and reread the first question, for she had finished it some time ago.<p>

"I think that was on page thirty-seven, but it could have been forty-one. It was the page with a white rabbit on it." She said, quite sure of herself. Coral shook her head. She was sitting on the other side of Lily, and Mary sat on the fourth and final side of the desk.

"Of course you know what _picture_ is on the page." Mary laughed.

"I'm on number three." Coral said, leaning closer to Lily. "I remember McGonagall saying something about the change in the molecular something or other when you transform the mice, but I can't remember. Did you write it down in your notes?" This was a joke. Lily wrote everything any of the teachers said down, except Professor Sprout. It just wasn't possible all the time or she would.

"Yes, I think so." Lily said modestly, handing Coral her stack of notes from this week's lessons. They were quiet for a while; the only sound was that of their scratching quills and Coral rustling through Lily's notes. Mary was the first to put her quill down.

"What do you think it means?" She asked. Lily looked over to see what number she was referring to.

"Well, the spell to turn a mouse into a matchbox-"

"I'm not talking about the homework any more." Mary said, smiling slightly.

"Then you are going to have to give me a little more to go on." Lily countered.

"The serpent. You know, the one that was painted on the wall behind the dead Auror. What do you think it means?"

"Oh." Lily frowned. This wasn't a subject that she liked to discuss.

"Serpents are supposed to represent evil and power." Coral said.

"The Slytherins' animal is a serpent." Lily pointed out, as though to contradict this.

"Yes, and Slytherins are supposed to be ambitious and cunning." Coral nodded.

"They aren't evil and powerful." Lily said.

"No," Coral chewed on her lip before answering. "But Salazar Slytherin wasn't the nicest bloke, was he? He was a power hungry wizard, who wanted to only allow pure-bloods into the school. One could argue that that is evil."

"I suppose." Lily shrugged. "I thought Salazar chose the snake because he could speak Parseltongue."

"So." Savanna spoke up. "It's symbolic."

"Sure." Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"You-who? What does it mean?" Mary asked again, trying to bring them back to her original question. "Why did the 'raiders' paint it above the Auror?"

"I don't know." Savanna shrugged.

"It could just be another way to scare us." Coral said. "That was my original point."

"Sorry I didn't pick up on that the first time." Mary sighed. "And it still doesn't make sense. They already have the masks, they don't need anything else."

"Well, too bad they aren't taking advice from you." Savanna chuckled.

"And then there is the actual murder." Mary mused. "Do you think Abrams was specifically targeted or just walked into the ally and they were just there."

"It's too much of a coincidence." Coral said, waving her hand, dismissing Mary's theory. "He's a muggle-born in a high ministry position. He had to have been targeted."

"They aren't only killing muggle-borns. It's 'blood-traitors' too." Savanna added. "But I think he was targeted."

"How are they so organized though?" Coral asked, twirling her quill around in her fingers.

"Let's get back to our homework. If we don't finish it soon, we'll be up all night." Lily said, interrupting the conversation. The other girls looked at her in surprise, but complied.

Today's story in the Prophet had opened her eyes more so than any of the others. It wasn't just a story this time. It didn't happen to a family she didn't know, it wasn't random, it wasn't all that far from her. James' family had known Willoughby Abrams as had Professor Seresin. She felt more like she had when Eustace's mum had been murdered and an older Gryffindor's grandfather kidnapped. She didn't feel as if being at Hogwarts protected her as much as it had last year, and she didn't know why.

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><p>Alice Fortescue was a stubborn girl with a fairly good head on her shoulders. Especially for only being eleven, almost twelve, years old. So far, in her three month career as a Hogwarts student, she had been able to achieve very good marks, outperform most of her classmates and make friends with second years.<p>

She was the kind of girl that everybody wanted to be friends with. She had a warm smile, was just above average looking, and wasn't too extreme in any way. Lily had asked her to go to the Quidditch game with her this morning and she had said yes. She liked Lily and her friends. They were much nicer than the girls in her year.

All the girls in her year were either too interested in their hair, too rude, not interested in school enough, or to quiet. Lily's group of friends seemed to be completely balanced, and that is how Alice liked things.

Savanna House had light brown hair stopped just above her shoulders and she had a habit of tucking it behind her right ear whenever she was nervous. She was a quiet person for the most part and liked to care for people. She was the girl who knew everybody's timetables, knew where they kept their stuff, made sure they didn't leave anything behind when they left the classroom. Savanna called it the 'big sister syndrome,' Lily called her the mother duck.

Mary was the tomboy. Well, she was tomboyish. She liked Quidditch and brooms more than her hair and nails. In Alice's book, that was slightly tomboyish. She had long brown hair, though she usually kept it tied up in a messy bun at the base of her neck. She had one older brother who had graduated from Hogwarts two years earlier and was now doing some job for Gringotts. She was definitely the loudest girl in the group.

Coral was the resident girlie-girl of the group. She cooed over older boys, tried to gossip with Mary, did up her hair every morning, and begged the other girls to let her do their hair. Her mother was a Dearborn, which was an old elite family, and her father was a Green. He was a pure-blood, but not from a noble family. Coral didn't really think twice about it though. He was her dad and she would love him if he had been half giant.

Lily was fierce and temperamental, a typical redhead actually. She had the blazing red hair, the freckles sprinkled on her cheeks and was exceptionally pale. Her temper could have been accurately compared to a dragon though this wasn't something that most people had the displeasure of witnessing. Most of the time she was nice, sweet, helpful and exceedingly patient. She could sit through a whole lesson of History of Magic without yawning once, which was a remarkable feat, and actually retain the lecture, even more remarkable.

When Alice walked down to the common room to meet with the girls, she was expecting to see them sitting around the fire or chatting near the bottom of the stairs. She did not expect to see Lily and James _shouting_ at each other near the port hole.

"He's your friend!"

"No, he _was_ my friend!"

"I don't care! You can't treat people like that!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"You were being cruel." Lily was standing in front of a sobbing Peter Pettigrew with her hands on her hips. James was glaring at Lily with utter contempt and her expression mirrored his almost exactly. "You don't talk to people like that!"

"You don't know what _he_ said!"

"It doesn't matter!"

"Of course it doesn't." He sighed, running a hand through his hair and spinning around. "It doesn't matter why I was yelling at Peter. It only matters that you _caught_ me."

"I am almost positive that whatever Peter said to you, wasn't nearly as bad as that." She said, pointing to the place where Peter and James had been arguing.

Alice slipped down the last few stairs and squeezed her way through the crowed that was gathered around the two second-years. She didn't think that Lily realized that she was causing such scene.

"But that's just it!" James shouted. "You don't _know_ what he said."

"I know what _you_ said!" She took a threatening step towards him for a moment, Alice thought she was going to hit him. "And you'd better hope that I don't tell McGonagall."

"You wouldn't." James said, eyes narrowing. "I have to be on the Quidditch field in half an hour." Lily pursed her lips. She knew that if she told on James and he was banned from playing today, that would not make the other Gryffindors too happy with her.

"Maybe I will." She bluffed.

"What is wrong with you? Why do you have to meddle? It's none of your business."

"I wasn't just going to let you go on bullying him!"

"Potter!" A new voice called. It was Emery Brown, the Quidditch captain. "Why aren't you down at breakfast?"

"Ask her." James huffed, and then he turned and marched out of the room.

"I hope you didn't upset him too much." Emery said, raising an eyebrow at Lily. "If his playing is affected, you'll have me to answer too."

"He was bul-"

"I don't remember asking." She said, cutting Lily off. "It's our first game. You're not supposed to upset the players on the day of their first match unless it's the opposing team. He's already wound up enough." Lily didn't look as though she cared much whether James was 'wound up' or not. She did however, look as though she didn't like being yelled at by Emery to much.

"Lily, over here!" Alice called, rescuing her from the red faced seventh year. Lily looked around for who had called her. She spotted Alice and gave her a 'thank you' look.

A few minutes later, Alice and Lily were walking down to breakfast without the other three girls. Lily hadn't wanted to wait for them and Alice didn't want to argue with her at the moment.

"I can't believe her." Lily said, referring to Emery. "She thinks that just because she's a Quidditch player, that makes her better than the rest of us. She didn't even let me explain. She was being completely unfair."

"Well, yeah I suppose." Alice sighed.

"What?" Lily snapped. "You don't think so?"

"No! It was unfair. It's just, she was doing the same thing you did." Alice rushed towards the end, but she could tell from the look on Lily's face, that she heard every word.

"What are you talking about?"

"You didn't let James explain himself."

"So, that's completely different."

"How?" If Alice had more common sense, she might have let this drop.

"Potter was bullying Peter. I was stopping him."

"You were shouting at him." Alice clarified.

"That's because he started it."

"It looked like you were just being mean."

"It did not!" Lily cried.

"Then why did Emery yell at you? Emery gets uptight about Quidditch, but she doesn't just shout at random younger years."

"She- Well I- it's different." Lily said, crossing her arms and looking anywhere but at Alice.

"Do you and James normally fight like that?" Alice asked after a moment of silence. They had just passed through a door that looked like a wall and had reached the staircase leading to the first floor.

"Well, I don't particularly like him but I've never shouted at him before." Lily said quietly. "It just made me so angry. Did you hear what he said to Peter?"

"No, but I know it must have been bad. Peter was crying."

"Yeah. Let's just eat and go down to the pitch before I change my mind and don't want to go anymore."

"It's my first match and you promised to take me." Alice said, her voice instantly lighter than it had been moments before.

"I know. Don't worry, I won't back out." Lily smiled.

"Good." Alice smiled victoriously. "So, how good is the Ravenclaw team?"

"I don't know." Lily admitted. "But I doubt they're as good as our team. I've seen them come in after nine every day this week."

"How did they get the pitch every night before the game? Isn't that unfair to the other team?"

"I don't think they were on the pitch every night." Lily said. "I don't know what they were doing, but they were practicing every night."

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Once they arrived at the Great Hall, Alice led Lily to the end of the table that James wasn't sitting at, Lily pretended not to notice. The other girls met with them after a few minutes and they ate their breakfasts quickly and rather quietly. Coral looked as though she was bursting to ask Lily about the fight, but held in her questions. Savanna kept giving Alice meaningful looks but Alice could not very well start telling her what had happened now. Lily was trying to pretend she wasn't angry.

After the girls finished, they got up from their place at the table and followed the crowed of students down to the pitch. Though once in the stands, they realized that they should have come down a bit earlier.

"Excuse me." Alice squeaked as she tried to get in front of a large group of fifth years.

"We obviously should have eaten faster." Mary sighed.

"Probably." Savanna agreed. "Come on, we're small, we can squeeze our way through." She was right, they were small and it wasn't too difficult to get to the front barrier. They found a space big enough for the five of them and settled in. The November air was cold and blowing rather harshly, and it looked like rain.

Despite the weather, Alice didn't think she could be any more excited and she told the girls so.

"It's just Quidditch." Lily said promptly, rolling her eyes.

"Don't listen to her." Mary said. "Lily is just odd. Quidditch is amazing."

"I know." Alice said. "This is my first match though."

"WELCOM TO THE GAME QUIDDITCH FANS!" A voice boomed across the Quidditch ground, Alice jumped a bit and Savanna laughed at her.

"It's Richard Smith." She said in Alice's ear. "He's a sixth year, his commentary is fairly humorous." Alice nodded.

"AND WELCOME BACK TO ANOTHER SEASON OF HOGWARTS' QUIDDITCH. TODAY WE WILL GET TO SEE RAVENCLAW PLAY GRYFFINDOR!" He paused to allow the students around the pitch time to yell excitedly for their team. Alice and the others cheered loudly as well. "YES, YES. ALRIGHT. NO NEED TO GET THAT EXCITED BEFORE THE GAME EVEN STARTS." There was a ripple of laughter through out the stands. "OKAY, HERE COMES THE RAVENCLAW TEAM. THE CAPTAIN, MY PERSONAL FAVORITE MEMBER OF THE TEAM, ONE OF THE CHASERS, AND MY BROTHER, JOSIAH SMITH." Josiah flew out of the Ravenclaw changing rooms. "THE KEEPER, KERRI CLARK!" She followed Josiah, "THE SEEKER, HANNAH KIPP!" And it went on. Richard introduced all of the Ravenclaw team but the names meant nothing to Alice. She didn't know any of them.

"AND HERE COME THE GRYFFINDOR TEAM NOW." Everybody turned their attention to the opposite end of the pitch and watched Emery fly out. "MISS BROWN, OUR CAPTAIN AND KEEPER, FOLLOWED CLOSELY BY CLEO DOWNING, A CHASER, NICOLUS STEVENSON, A BEATER." The three he called started doing laps around the pitch. "SETH STEIN, OUR SEEKER, RODGER CLIFF, A CHASER. AND THERE IS EDWARD HOUSE, THE FORMER YOUNGEST PLAYERS ON THE TEAM. BUT HE LOST THAT TITLE THIS YEAR. GRYFFINDOR'S NEWEST BLOOD IS A SECOND YEAR, JAMES POTTER. HE WILL BE THE THRID CHASER, LET'S SEE IF HE'S AS GOOD AS THE GIRL HE'S REPLACING SHALL WE?" Alice thought that was a little harsh, until she saw James fly out onto the pitch. He was grinning from ear to ear and didn't look at all perturbed by what Richard had just said.

"Ha." Lily laughed dryly. "Wound up is he?"

"It looks like he got over it." Alice agreed.

"What are you two talking about?" Coral asked.

"Nothing." Lily snapped.

"THE CAPTAINS ARE SHAKING HANDS, YOU BE NICE TO HER JO." Richard laughed at his brother. "I KNOW HOW YOU CAPTAINS ARE. MADAM HOOCH BLOWS THE WHISTLE AND RELEASES THE QUAFFLE. FOLKS, WE ARE OFF!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hope you don't mind the Quidditch tease too much, but if I were to put in the Quidditch game, this chapter would have been way longer than all of my previous chapters, so you will have to wait till the next chapter for the game. It <em>will<em> be there, I promise. So until next time, leave me your thoughts in a review, tell me what you think, and just have a lovely day!**

**Oh! Before I forget, do you like the recap thing I did. I think it could become useful. I just remember something I added in a previous chapter that is going to need some attention soon, and now I just remembers something else, so reminders are good, yeah? **

**~Craz**


	11. Chapter Eleven: A Day of Firsts

**AN: Hey Guys. Chapter eleven is here! And I just have to tell you that this chapter runs along with the end of the last chapter, and then I finished the Quidditch game too. Hope you like. **

**Stuff to know: James and Sirius had a fight with Remus, (though it was mostly Sirius and Remus) about James and Sirius trying to find a way to help Remus when he becomes a werewolf. Remus doesn't want them too, Sirius and James are going to do it anyway. And it's Quidditch time. :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven: A Day of Firsts<strong>

James didn't think he had slept at all. He had spent the majority of the night staring up at the ceiling and trying to visualize what tomorrow's game would be like. He had dreamed of this day during his whole childhood. Every game he had attended, he had imagined actually being on a broom and playing instead of just watching.

This morning he was going to get to play. He was going to play a real game of Quidditch. He would help Gryffindor win and then Lily wouldn't dislike him so much. Maybe she would forget that he had poured a bucket of water on her head last year and ignore all the previous fights between Severus Snape and himself.

Even if that didn't happen, he was still going to play Quidditch today.

He pulled the curtains back and looked at the clock on his bedside table. It was six-thirty, but he didn't want to lie in bed anymore. He pulled his covers off and slipped onto the cold stone ground. He could hear Sirius's snoring on his left and on his right he could see one of Remus's feet sticking out of bed. James chuckled at his friends before moving to the end of his bed and reaching down to grab his Quidditch uniform from his trunk. He had laid it out on top of the trunk last night. The other boys might have made fun of him for treating it as a sacred object if they hadn't been so envious or proud of him for simply being on the team.

The fabric was stiff for lack of wear and the bright gold number seven on the back of his jersey gleamed in the morning light. James didn't mind that he probably looked like a fool smiling down at the robes.

He reluctantly put them back on his trunk and moved back to the side of his bed, dropping to his knees and bending over so he could peer under the bed. He reached hand in as far as he could, having to stick his head under a bit in order to reach a stack of books that he had hidden there a few days ago.

Sirius and James had gone to the Library every chance they had to find books about werewolves and snuck them back to their dorm. At that time Remus was completely unaware of the small growing library under James' bed.

He pulled the stack towards himself, just close enough so that he could read the titles. He scanned his finger along the bindings until it stopped on _The Dangerous and Deadly, by Gilbrith S. J. _This was one of the books that he had nicked from the restricted section. He had already started reading it but he didn't think that it was going to be especially helpful since the book was mostly about how to _kill_ deadly beasts rather than help them. Not help them. There was one book though that looked promising. _My Monsters and Me, by R. J. Hopkins._ The back cover had made James think that this book was going to have something useful in it.

Up until then though, he hadn't even been able to look through it. This was the book he pulled out. Everybody in the dorm was still asleep, it would be safe to read a few pages.

He hopped back onto his bed and opened the book, the binding crackled because this was an apparently rarely used book by the looks of it.

_Chapter One: What are the Beasts?_

_There are many different kinds of magically concealed beasts, or monsters if you will, that live round us or even with us in our society. These creatures, however, do not normally reveal themselves to the general public. Wizards usually condemn them to a life as social outcasts. These creatures are ridiculed, the walking dead (vampires) or the unlucky semi-humans (Centaurs and Werewolves.) Then they wonder why these creatures are hostile or violent towards us-_

James skipped to the next chapter, _Chapter Two: How to Help our Scary Friends,_ and then skimmed until he saw the word werewolf.

_Werewolves transform every full moon. The transformation starts when the moon rises and ends when it sets. Depending on what time of year, werewolves can be in their wolf state for up to 14 hours in the winter (even longer in some parts of the world, Antarctica for instance.) When werewolves take the precautions necessary to avoid attacking people while transformed, they attack the only thing they can. Themselves. _

_This can make the transformations extremely painful for the werewolves, especially younger wolves who have yet to grow habituated to the transformations. The werewolf will scratch and bite themselves. These wounds that they give themselves carry over to when they revert to their human form. They don't disappear when the moon changes. These wounds leave scars and are painful._

_When trying to help a werewolf during its transformation, the quandary is that I am a human. I can't safely go anywhere near a werewolf that is in its wolf form. It would endanger my life as well as the sanity of the wolf. When a werewolf smells human flesh, it grows fanatical…_

"I thought James would be up and dressed by now." James heard Frank chuckle. James slammed the book shut and shoved it in his robe.

"I am up." James said, pulling back his curtains and jumping out of bed. "Just waiting for you lot to wake up."

"Didn't want to seem to anxious, right?" Ian laughed, walking over to the window and drawing back the curtains. "Aw, rubbish day." He noted, taking in the thick, gray clouds.

"No day is rubbish if there is Quidditch." James said. He seemed to believe this to be true too. He was beaming at the window, though he could have been looking at the Quidditch pitch, which was just barely visible.

"Whatever you say, mate." Ian laughed.

Peter pushed his curtains back and stood up slowly, avoiding James' stare and slinked off towards the bathroom. "Morning to you too Pete!" Ian called after him.

"Yeah, morning." He called from the bathroom.

"Are you ready to play?" Frank asked, pulling his nightclothes off and putting on jeans and a T-shirt.

"More than ready." James said, running his hand over his Quidditch robes and picking them up. "I can't wait till the game starts."

"Well, tell the others to meet me in the Great Hall when they wake up, will you?"

"OK." James said, Ian and Frank waved at him and walked out of the door. James was about to pull the book out of his robe and slip it back under his bed when Peter walked out of the bathroom. James glared at him and went to the bathroom. He changed into his robes and brushed his teeth, making sure to tuck the book back into his pile of night things. While walking back towards his bed, he heard a thump and turned back to see what he had dropped. The book had fallen to the ground at Peter's feet.

"Oh, here." Peter said, bending down and picking it up. James tried to snatch it back before he could read the title but, by the look on Peter's face, he wasn't quick enough. "What are you doing with that?"

"None of your business." James said scathingly. "You made sure of that."

"I'm sorry." Peter said quietly, looking down at his feet. "I just don't see how you could be friends with someone who… someone like _him_." He nodded towards Remus's bed and then turned and walked out of the room, leaving a dumbstruck James behind.

Before James knew it, he was storming out of the room after Peter. "What do you mean?" He shouted, causing several people who were in the common room to stop what they were doing and look at him. Peter turned around slowly to face him.

"I just mean," He started in a forced whisper. "That he is, well, you know what he is."

"It doesn't matter." James said through clenched teeth.

"Yes, it does. You and Sirius can kid yourselves all you want, but there is a reason you don't see any of them walking around in Diagon Alley." James froze in shock. This was not the Peter he remembered. This boy in front of him didn't stutter or look at the ground while he spoke, he was looking at James. This only made James angrier, if it wasn't fear that was making Peter ignore Remus then he had no excuse.

"You've been hanging around with Ian too long." James said, shaking his head.

"Of course. It's my friends that have problems." Peter rolled his eyes.

"What?" James shouted.

"Between Remus and his… problem and Sirius's family problems you have no room to criticize my friends." He was starting to crumble under James' glare, his eyes shifting around and glancing to the ground. "James, I didn't mea-"

"You know what, you are a git." James said, cutting him off. "You walk around now without a care in the world but, just so you know, the _only_ reason that Sirius and I leave you alone is because of Remus. If he hadn't asked us not to do anything to you, we would have blasted you into next year." James' voice was growing louder with every word. "You are a pathetic example of a friend and I don't know why I let you hang around us last year. You are the _last _person I would ever want to be friends with."

"James!" A new voice had joined the shouting match. It was Lily.

"What?" He asked, whirling around to face the equally angry redhead. That is when he noticed that Peter was making a strangled, choking noise. He looked at the smaller boy and noticed that he was crying.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"I am having an argument with this creep." James sighed.

"Don't call him that!" Lily said crossly. "He's your friend!"

"No, he _was_ my friend!"

"I don't care! You can't treat people like that!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"You were being cruel. You don't talk to people like that!"

"You don't know what _he_ said!"

"It doesn't matter!"

"Of course it doesn't. It doesn't matter why I was yelling at Peter. It only matters that you _caught_ me." James ran his hand through his hair and felt like punching something. She had no right to stick her nose into anything. She didn't even know what this was about.

"I am almost positive that whatever Peter said to you, wasn't nearly as bad as that."

"But that's just it!" James shouted. "You don't _know_ what he said."

"I know what _you_ said! And you'd better hope that I don't tell McGonagall."

"You wouldn't. I have to be on the Quidditch field in half an hour." He really hoped that she was bluffing because there was no way he was going to miss his first Quidditch game.

"Maybe I will."

"What is wrong with you? Why do you have to meddle? It's none of your business." James growled.

"I wasn't just going to let you go on bullying him!"

"Potter!" He recognized Emery Brown's voice immediately. "Why aren't you down at breakfast?"

"Ask her." James huffed. Then he turned and marched out of the porthole. Once in the corridor, he started running. He just wanted to get as far from there as he could. He kept running, down flights of stairs and around students heading to breakfast.

He ran until he reached the second floor. There were only a few students in the corridor and one of them had long black, greasy hair. It was Severus. James smirked and walked up behind him. It seemed like the perfect plan. It would make him feel better and make Lily angry.

"Hey Snivellus." James sneered.

* * *

><p>James was leaning up against the wall in the back of the Gryffindor changing room, his robes and gloves were on and he couldn't figure out why he was so nervous. He was about to play his first Quidditch game in front of the whole school and his parents were here to watch. He had nothing to be nervous about. This was what he had been dreaming of for as long as he could remember.<p>

"You're looking a bit pale Potter." Cleo smiled at him joining him on the wall. "Nervous?"

"Maybe." James said, not meeting her eyes. "I shouldn't be."

"Of course you should be." She said, a bit shocked by his answer. "Look," She pointed to Emery, who was pacing back and forth… on top of a bench. "Why would a sane person do that with that serious look on her face?" James shrugged. "She's nervous. And there's Nick. He's doing his usual push-ups, I forgot how many he does. Seth is muttering to himself, Rodger's throwing that ball at the wall." She pointed out the other members of the team smiling. "And I think Edward is puking his breakfast into the toilet." James laughed.

"I haven't done that since my first game!" Edward said, walking out of the bathroom. "I was just splashing some water on my face." Cleo laughed at him.

"What about you?" James asked, feeling slightly better.

"I am talking to you." Cleo said. "I am usually really giddy before a game and everybody gets really annoyed with me. So it will be your job to keep me occupied before the next game." James nodded.

"I think I can do that." She smiled. "Why aren't you wound up right now?"

"Not in the mood, that's all."

"Okay." James sent her a questioning look but she didn't say anything more.

"Time to line up, team." Emery said suddenly, jumping off the bench and walking over to the line of brooms and selecting hers. The rest of the team did the same, James grabbed Adam's Nimbus. They gathered in a circle by the door that they would fly out and Emery turned to face them all.

"Okay team, this is our first game. This is our first chance to prove ourselves for the year. This game is going to set the tone for the rest of the season." James nodded along with her but the others didn't seem to be paying much attention. "Ravenclaw has a good team, but we're better. I know that we can do this, we just need to focus. We are going to be brilliant."

"Or else." Nick smirked.

"Exactly." Emery quipped. "Let's make our last year one to remember." She looked at Cleo and Nick now. "Now, for the third consecutive year," She was smiling at this point and threw her arms around James and Nick, who were on either side of her. The rest of the team followed in suit. "LIONS FOR THE CUP!"

"FOR THE CUP!" They echoed. Then they mounted their brooms and waited for Richard Smith to call them out.

When James finally heard his name, he found that he was still nervous, but he was far more excited. He flew out, smiling widely, and did a few loops in the air before flying over to the rest of the team and waiting in the correct formation for the Quaffle to be released.

"…MADAM HOOCH BLOWS THE WHISTLE AND RELEASES THE QUAFFLE. FOLKS, WE ARE OFF!" Richards voice boomed throughout the Quidditch grounds. "CHRIS HANZ TAKES POSSESION OF THE QUAFFLE AND HEADS TOWARDS THE GRYFFINDOR HOOPS. IT DOESN'T LOOK AS THOUGH HE IS GOING TO GET VERY FAR THOUGH." As he said this, Cleo and James came up on either side of Chris, making it very difficult for him to pass the ball. "AND HERE COMES A BLUDGER HIT BY STEVENSON, MISSES HANZ, BUT HE DOES DROP THE BALL, DOWNING CATCHES IT AND THEY START IN THE OTHER DIRECTION. THEY'RE COMING FOR YOU, BROTHER." James followed Cleo closely down the pitch and made sure he was open when they reached the middle, she tossed the Quaffle towards him and he caught it with one hand. "A FAIRLY IMPRESSIVE CATCH BY POTTER. HE DODGES A BLUDGER AND PASSES THE QUAFFLE TO CLIFF." Rodger and James worked their way towards the goal post, passing the Quaffle back and forth frequently enough so the Ravenclaw beaters couldn't make up their mind who they should aim for.

"POTTER HAS THE QUAFFLE AND IS GOING FOR THE GOAL. HE'S GETTING READY AND… HE SCORES!" James heard the left side of the stands erupt into applause and he beam. "I GUESS I CAN POINT OUT THAT I DO IN FACT KNOW THIS KID. HE'S NOT A BAD BLOKE." James turned his broom to face the commentator's box which was in the midst of all the teachers and shook his head at Richard. He caught sight of his parents right behind the commentator's box and they were standing up, clapping for him.

The game went on for the next hour and ten minutes. By then James had scored four times, Rodger five times and Cleo three times. That brought the score up to 130- 70, in favor of Gryffindor. James now had the Quaffle and was able to enjoy the precision of the new Nimbus as he dodged around a threatening bludger. He swerved towards Kerri Clark and whipped the Quaffle towards the left hoop but and she caught it. James sighed and Kerri smiled back at him.

"Nice try, Potter." She laughed.

"One out of five, it's about time Clark." James jibed back.

"Thanks." She laughed. For losing, she was in quite a good mood.

"LOOKS LIKE CLARK SAVED THAT ONE, AH WELL. YOU CAN'T GET THEM ALL, POTTER." Richard called. "CLARK PASSES THE BALL TO HANZ AND HE-OOH! THAT WAS QUITE THE HIT FROM EDDIE HOUSE THERE." And it was too. Edward had hit the bludger directly at Chris and he hadn't seen it coming. The ball hit his shoulder and there was a loud crack. Chris dropped the ball and Josiah Smith caught it quickly, Madame Hooch calling for a break at the same time.

"I didn't mean to hit you that hard." Edwards said, flying over and apologizing. This wouldn't have happened if Gryffindor had been losing or if they were playing Slytherin.

"I think you dislocated it." Chris said. Josiah and Kerri, the Keeper, were helping him to the ground. "It's nothing too bad."

"Nah, I heard the crack from the keeper's post. It's broken. Which reserve are we bringing in, Jo?" Kerri asked.

"What?" Chris shouted. "It's the first game. You can't take me out!"

"You can't play anymore." Jo said. "Let's bring in Boone. He fits well-"

"Come on, Jo!" Chris shouted.

"Hey Potter, House!" Emery yelled. "Over here!" James left with Edward. Once they reached their team Emery slapped them both on the back of the head. "I don't care if his bloody arm fell off! This game isn't over yet. You can apologize later."

"Sorry." Edward sighed.

"Whatever." Emery said, rolling her eyes. "We're ahead, but that doesn't mean we're going to win. Stein, I want the snitch and I want it now."

"Sorry Emery." Seth said. "I can't just will the snitch to show its self."

"Don't give me excuses, get me the snitch."

"Yes ma'am."

"Don't be cheeky." She rounded on James now and he gulped. "James?"

"Yes."

"Quit talking to Kerri. I know she's pretty but now is not the time to be chatting her up."

"She's too old for you anyway but, if you're going to go for older girls, go for third years before the sixth." Cleo laughed. "Thanks for the advice." James said, shaking his head.

"Alright, looks like they are bringing in Boone. Cliff, keep them away from me, Cleo, stop letting them have the ball, Potter, score!"

"We won't let you down, Brown." James laughed.

Madam Hooch came on the field with the Quaffle and threw it up to Jo, and the game resumed.

Boone seemed to be very excited to be in the game and soon it was tied at 140-140. Emery looked livid and her being angry didn't make her a good keeper. Cleo was trying to calm her down but it wasn't working.

Rodger Cliff threw James the Quaffle and he zoomed down the field, stopping sharply in front of the right post and jerked his arm forward without releasing the ball, and as Kerri moved to block the shot, James quickly changed target, throwing the Quaffle towards the left post. It went in and the Gryffindors burst into a round of 'Go Gryffindor.' Suddenly a gasp came from the crowd and James turned and spotted the seekers racing along the bottom of the pitch about a foot off the ground. Kipp and Stein were shoulder to shoulder, each with a hand stretched out. James held his breath and looked over at the scoreboard. 150-140.

Stein gave a sudden lurch forward and tumbled off his broom, rolling a good ten feet before coming to a stop. He rolled over on his back putting his fist in the air. James, high in the air, could only just make out the tiny gold wings fluttering on either sides of Seth's fist.

They had won the game.

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><p><strong>AN: There you are, tell me what you think. I love reviews like Dumbledore loves lemon drops! 3 I need them like Dobby needs socks, like Voldemort needs a body( pre- GOF) or a nose (post- GOF). :D<strong>

**~Craz**


	12. Chapter Twelve: An Idea is Born

**AN: Hey guys. Sorry about the late update. Enjoy. :D**

**I am going to reply to some reviews now, I would have just PMed them, but they weren't logged in.**

**X: Thank you for reviewing, and thanks in general too! I am going to try and do all seven years, I have already wrote some parts for years to come! They should be more fun than the first few years, only because they will be older and what not. I do update on Sundays and Wednesdays. Normally. This week things were a bit off, but normally I am pretty good about it. Hope you continue reading. :D**

**nmn: :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter Twelve: An Idea is Born<strong>

"Shh! If you don't quiet down we're going to get caught!"

"I don't know who put you in charge," A second boy whispered through clenched teeth. "But you need to stop telling me what to do."

"I put myself in charge! Now be quiet!"

A third voice spoke up. "You two are acting like children."

"I am a year older than you are." The first boy said indignantly.

The three boys were moving along the third corridor towards a room that they all knew they weren't allowed in at this time of day. Their footfalls were as quiet as they could make them, but their effort was made fruitless by their voices. They weren't exactly being quiet.

"You know what, Black?" The first voice said in an angry whisper. "I don't think you will be joining us on our next mission."

"Mission?" The one addressed as 'Black' laughed. "Is that what this is? I thought we were simply stealing."

"Shh!" The other of the two said quickly. "We aren't supposed to be here. There is no need to draw attention to us!"

"You're acting like your brother." The first voice said in a matter-of-fact tone, ignoring the warning.

"Firstly, you don't know my brother so you couldn't possibly know if that was true. Secondly, if that is true it's better than acting like you lot."

"He's a Gryffindor!"

"Avery, you need to stop saying that like it's a bad thing." Regulus sighed. He still wasn't quite sure how he had got himself involved in this little stunt. Though, once one of the older years told you to do something, you didn't refuse.

"It _is_ a bad thing." Avery sighed, still speaking in an angry whisper. "You're brother is a blood-traitor."

"Just like your cousin." This voice belonged to one Kyle Wilkes. Both were second years and both resented having to take Regulus along with them. "Didn't she end up with a mud-blood?" He seemed to have forgotten that they were supposed to be quiet.

"I don't care if you two are older than me, I am going to knock your block-"

"You're gonna have to get your brother to beat us up." Avery smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"No. But he would." Regulus muttered. "Let's just do what Lestrange told us to do and leave. The sooner we're finished, the sooner I can get away from you two."

"I'm not arguing with that." Wilkes said.

They continued down the corridor until they reached the door to the DADA classroom. Avery tried to open it and, to their great surprise, it wasn't locked. They slipped in and, just as Lestrange had said, Professor Seresin wasn't there. They had not idea where he was but he wasn't in the classroom. They weren't supposed to ask questions. That was another thing the older years expected from them.

"Wilkes, you can be the lookout." Regulus said, moving towards the door in the back of the room.

"I'm not taking orders from you."

"Just do it." Avery sighed. Wilkes looked as though he was going to argue for a moment.

"Fine." He walked out the door and the other two boys made their way to the back of the room where Seresin's private store was. When they reached the door, it wasn't Regulus who hesitated. Avery grabbed the younger boys hand before he reached the door knob.

"What if he's in there?"

"Who, Seresin? Lestrange said he wouldn't be." Regulus said.

"But, what if he is?"

"Then we'll say that we were looking for him."

"Right." Avery released Regulus and the later proceeded to open the door. There was no one in there, as they had been told to expect. Books lined the walls with old titles that wouldn't even be found in the restricted section of the library. Odd jars were scattered throughout the books. Some were filled with what looked like shrunken heads and others looked like entrails. Regulus's stomach churned at that thought of where these jarred objects might have come from. He was getting the impression that Seresin might not object to letting Lestrange have what it was that he wanted. They quickly took what they had been told to and left.

oOoOo

Sirius was lying on his back on the floor staring at the ceiling. It was seven o'clock on a Friday morning and his room-mates were just starting to wake up. It was also November 19. That was only significant because it meant that the full moon had been last night. This was also the reason that Sirius was on the floor wide awake instead of sleeping.

Remus's bed was still empty and the others had already been told that it was because his mother was ill. They never seemed to question it like Sirius had. They just nodded morosely and wished his mother well. This seemed to be the appropriate response when one finds out that a friend's mother is ill.

On the nights of the full moon Sirius would lie awake and listen to the howling that took place just off the Hogwarts' grounds, and even though it was never discussed, he was pretty sure that James did too. He would lay awake and listen to Remus shrieking throughout the night until he could no longer keep his eyes open. Then he would wake up early the next morning and stare at the ceiling. It was this awful feeling that prevented him from going away. It was almost like being physically ill. His friend was out there in pain and he was in here, unable to do anything.

James and Sirius had been searching for a solution, anything that would help Remus while he was transformed but they had yet to stumble upon anything that would help. Sirius wasn't really taking this well. Once he made up his mind to do something, he did it. He had made up his mind to help Remus, and he couldn't. It was frustrating him to no end.

They had Transfigurations that morning and Sirius had yet to finish the homework. He didn't think James had either though so he wasn't too worried about it. It was just going to be the two of them today and, if neither one of them had it finished, they could just skip that lesson. He let himself think about this for a while to distract him. Otherwise he would keep thinking about where Remus was or how much pain he was in.

James was in a similar situation as his best friend. He was wide awake and staring at nothing in particular, but he was still in his bed. He rolled over on his side and laughed when he saw Sirius's feet perched up on his bed and the rest of Sirius on the ground.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Nothing. You?"

"Laughing at you."

"That's not nice. Did you finish your Transfigurations homework?"

"Yes. I did it with Remus yesterday when we visited him."

"That's what you blokes were doing?" Sirius asked, eyes wide.

"What exactly did you think we were doing," James laughed. "You know, with our books and parchment out?"

"I don't know." Sirius shrugged. Then he suddenly jumped to his feet and hurried over to his trunk. He sat down and pulled out a roll of parchment that was half full of his untidy scrawl. "I only have three questions left. I can finish before breakfast." He said confidently.

"Good luck." James said earnestly, rolling over on his stomach and reaching under his bed for a book. The first one he grabbed was, _My Monsters and Me, by R. J. Hopkins. _He had already read through this book but threw it on his bed anyway and reached for another. This time the book that he grabbed appeared to be one he hadn't read yet. He rolled back over and propped himself up on his pillow.

"Who was that witch who did that thing…" Sirius asked, looking up from his homework.

"It's sad that I know who you are talking about." James said, chuckling. "It was Beatrice Hopkins."

"That's the one." Sirius grinned before returning back.

He opened his book and turned to the table of contents. There were chapters about every sort of monster imaginable, but James' finger reached the bottom of the page without it running over the word 'werewolf.' Disappointed, he put the book back under his bed and tried a third time to find a book to read.

This time he knew there was at least going to be something about werewolves in it because it was in the title, _How to Survive a Werewolf Attack. _

When he rolled over this time something jabbed him in the back and he jumped up a bit. It was, _My Monsters and Me_ and it was open.

A random sentence caught his eyes, "_When trying to help a werewolf during its transformation, the quandary is that I am a human." _James sighed. That wasn't very helpful. _He_ was human too. He couldn't very well change that, could he?

"Finished!" Sirius exclaimed, interrupting James' train of thought."Breakfast time."

"Right-o." James said, pushing himself off his bed and placing the books back under it. For the time being, he forgot about what R.J. Hopkins had to say about his being human.

oOoOo

Transfiguration was a difficult class for a majority of the students. Sirius struggled slightly, well as much as Sirius struggled with school work. Remus had to study quite often to perform as well as he did, but James seemed to have an unusual inclination for the subject. It was something that came somewhat naturally to him. This upset his friends and a few of his other classmates.

Professor McGonagall always seemed impressed that he was always the first one to achieve a new spell. Maybe she would have grown used to it, but the time it took him to complete a new spell was impressive as well. It was the only time she ever awarded James house points. It was also the only time she wasn't giving him stern looks.

The class was currently attempting to turn water goblets into mice. James was trying to stop his mouse from running off his desk and help Sirius at the same time.

"You just have to focus, Sirius." James said, grabbing the mouse's tail. "Picture the mouse in your head and focus."

"That's what I have been doing. If you don't shut up, I am going to transform you into a mouse." Sirius muttered.

"If you can't do it do a cup, what makes you think that you could transform-" James broke off and his eyes glazed over.

"Oi! Potter!" Sirius said, waving his hand in front of James' face. "Where'd you go?"

"That's it Sirius!" James whispered, a large grin covering his face. "We can't help him when we're human! We'll transform!"

"What are you on about?"

"For Remus." James said, as though it should have been obvious. "We'll transform so that we can be with him during the full moon."

"I don't see how becoming mice is going to help Remus much." Sirius said, trying to keep up with James. "He's a wolf when he transforms, he would swallow us whole. I don't think he would forgive us if he ate us."

"That doesn't make sense Sirius, but that's not what I meant." James looked around and dropped his voice even more. "We can become animagi and transform in to larger animals to help him." Sirius took a moment to digest what James telling him and then he grinned back at James.

"That's bloody brilliant. You know, if we can do it."

"I can." James said in a challenging tone.

"So can I." Sirius said. "Well, not yet obviously."

"Good." James said. "It looks as though another trip to the library is in order."

"It appears that way." Sirius said. "You know, if we don't watch ourselves that could become a habit." He turned back to his water goblet and tried the spell again. This time the goblet shook and changed form until there was a little black mouse running along with James' white one. "Piece of cake."

"I'm glad you think so." James grinned.

oOoOo

Sirius and James had never spent so much time in the library than in the following few days. Sirius was complaining that they were turning into a pair of Ravenclaws. They searched the transfigurations section of the library frantically, collecting everything they could find about animagi. They had exchanged the werewolf books but the stack under James' bed had still grown to about twice the size it had been. There were a lot more books in the Hogwarts' library about animagi than werewolves.

"So, you're telling me," Remus said, crinkling his brow together in confusion. He was currently sitting cross legged on the end of James' bed watching James and Sirius read books from their secret stash. "That instead of giving you two detention, McGonagall is making you write papers on animagi?" His tone was covered in skepticism. And for good reason, James and Sirius had books piled up around them and they looked enthralled by the text they were reading.

"It's complete rubbish." James said, without looking up at him. "Extra homework is a lot worse than giving a troll a bath."

"People are still talking about that you know." Sirius laughed. "Did you know that animagi have to be registered with the ministry?"

"No I didn't."

"You have to be 17 too."

"Well that's too bad." James muttered. "For them."

"We'll just have to keep a low profile."

They were doing it again and Remus didn't like it. They were having cryptic conversations that didn't mean anything to him, they were only including him half-way.

"What are you two going on about?" He sighed.

"It's just for our project." Sirius said. Still, neither of them had yet to make eye contact with him.

"Sirius, you told me last year that friends don't keep things from each other." Remus said in the calmest voice he could manage. "_You_ said that."

"I know Remus. I'm not keeping anything from you." Sirius said, still not looking at him.

They had their hearts in the right place. They weren't telling Remus what they were up to until they were sure that this was something that they would be able to do and if they knew that it was going to work. They didn't want him to get upset with them either, like he had when they suggested helping him last month.

"James?" Remus tried, though he knew it wasn't going to get him anywhere.

"Look Remus," James said, looking up finally. "What do you think that we are doing?"

"I don't have a clue." Remus huffed. "But I am sick of you both being all secretive. It's been going on for like a month now and I haven't a clue what it's all about." This wasn't entirely true, but he didn't want to get into a whole different argument with them on top of this.

"It's nothing." Sirius said. There was silence for a while for none of them said anything and their room-mates were out enjoying the pre-December snow that fallen earlier that day. James and Sirius would occasionally flip a page and scribble down some notes on a scrap of parchment, but for a few moments, that was it.

"You two are spending more time on this project than you do on graded ordinary homework." Remus mused, to which James and Sirius made noncommittal noises. "You two would never let me get away with this." With that he stood up and walked over to his bed and fell on top of it. He was still very sore from the full moon, which had been five days ago. It had been a bit better than last month, but still worse than it had been at the end of last year. He now looked as though he had been in a fight. He sported a black eye and had a new gash on his face. This one was long and ran from the bottom of his ear lobe to the point of his chin. It was a long and thin gash that was quiet hard to explain to people for there were not many things that could have caused something like that. Coupled with the one from last month, he looked like a mess.

He was almost asleep when he heard a rapping on the window above his head. He craned his neck around and saw a large black owl flying outside waiting to be let in. The familiarity of the bird woke Remus with a start and he jumped up and unlatched the window. The bird swooped in and landed on his headboard before sticking out his left leg and hooting softly at Remus. This was Carlee's owl.

"James, Sirius! It's from Carlee!" He heard the sound of books hitting the floor and then felt the springs of his mattress creak as James and Sirius jumped on leaned over his shoulders so he could read them their newest letter.

_Hey Guys,_

_I don't really have much to report, but I did find those articles that I was telling you about. The ones that were in the American newspaper, about what was happening in England, the raiders and what happened with my dad. It's all a load of dung for the most part, but interesting none the less. Some of them are pretty old too. I feel bad that I am not writing more, but even my guilt isn't enough motivation. I'll be sure to write you real letters soon. _

_Love you all, Carlee_

**American Ministry Hero Passes Away**

**Mark Johnson**

**Earlier this week 46 year-old Tomas Baker, a well known employ of the Ministry, was found dead in his home. The circumstances of his death were until now, unknown. With minimal examination from a pair of expert healers, they were able to confirm, with absolute certainty that Tomas Baker died of a heart attack. **

**Baker was an exemplary man and a strong leader. To those who knew him he was a fierce friend and he was always there for his family. Even though he was the head of the International Magical Control department and his job took him all around the world as well as keeping him in the office after hours, he still found time for his fourteen children, his wife Olivia, brother Tim, sister Diana, and his twenty-four nieces and nephews. **

**His presence will be missed in the Ministry but his home is where he will be missed the most. We ask you to send your thoughts to the Bakers. Information about his memorial is on page 3.**

**A Look at England**

**Hank Smith**

**Mysterious Raiders have been terrorizing the magical community of England. Most serious attacks have been centered in Diagon Alley, the equivalent of Norganah Street here in the states. The raiders come on seemingly random days and kill, injure and kidnap men, women and children. An English Ministry of Magic emploee was on the scene at the last attack. McKinnon is an Auror, which is a specially train dark wizard catcher, and was enjoying a day off with his wife. **

**Despite his extensive training, McKinnon was unable to capture any of the raiders or prevent them from murdering and kidnapping innocent bystanders. Story continues on page 5. **

Remus put the articles down and leafed through the others she sent. There was one from the Christmas attacks last year, a few more about her dad and one from that summer about the lack of attacks.

"Dumbledore told us that Mr. Baker was murdered." Sirius said, looking quite confused.

"She said that it wasn't true in her note." James said, also looking through some of the other newspaper clipings. "They didn't even mention Dylan or Ella. I just don't understand why they are lying about what happened."

"I don't understand why you two are lying to me." Remus said.

"Really, Remus? Just drop it." Sirius muttered.

"Just tell me the truth."

"Now isn't the time to talk about it." James said.

"Why? What happened to no secrets?"

"Fine!" Sirius shouted, jumping off Remus's bed and walking over to James'. He dropped to the floor and reached his hand under the bed, pulling out _My Monsters and Me,_ the only werewolf book they had kept. "Look." He opened the book to the right page and shoved it into Remus's hands. As Remus read, his eyes grew wider and wider.

"What?" He finally exclaimed. "That's why you two are looking at animagi books! Because this, this lunatic says that you can't be around me when you're human!"

"And this is why we didn't tell you." James muttered. "We knew that you would get all wound up."

"I am not letting you do this." He said angrily. "I already told you that it was too dangerous."

"If we're animals, then you can't hurt us." Sirius explained.

"It's illegal!" He shouted. "You can't do this."

"We just can't get caught actually. You're not going to talk us out of this you know." James said, putting an arm around Remus. "We want to help you."

"You're our friend and we hate watching you after the full moon. You are hurt and bruised."

"And I am not too fond of listening to you attempt to get out of the Shrieking Shack."

"You can hear that?" He asked, suddenly terrified.

"Well, yeah." Sirius sighed, sitting down on the bed. Remus didn't look at him.

"We're going to try and do this for you." James said. "Because we want to. You aren't going to change our minds."

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><p><strong>AN: Again, I am sorry about the late update. There will be a new chapter this Sunday, I promise. :D<strong>


	13. Chapter Thirteen: The Marauders

**AN: Okay, is it wrong to say that I am pretty excited for you guys to read this chapter? Blah! You don't even know. I won't give it away though. Just read it and enjoy it. :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen: The Marauders <strong>

Dumbledore stood in his office pacing back and forth. He was looking down at the ground with his hands clasped behind his back. His eyes lacked the twinkle that they usually held around the students and he looked angry.

For anybody that had ever met Dumbledore, seeing him angry was a frightening experience. He was the kind of man that was very hard to irritate. He was good at keeping calm but here, with no one around, he let himself be angry.

On his desk there was a stack of letters. One of them was from the Minister of Magic, one was from Carlee Baker and the others were the letters that Lily Evans had given him back in September.

The current Minister of Magic was up for re-election and had written to Dumbledore to ask him for his public support amongst the magical community. There was a problem with this though. Dumbledore did not approve of what Vincent Turnbull was doing with the 'raiders.' He didn't think that he was taking it seriously enough. But with the death count nearing one hundred, Dumbledore didn't see how Turnbull could ignore the problem much longer. When Dumbledore brought this up though, Turnbull had reminded him that the death count was much lower if they didn't count the muggles.

The only reason the Minister had asked Dumbledore for support was so he wouldn't run for the position himself. The people at the Ministry didn't understand. He wasn't going to run for the Minister's position. Not now, not ever. His place was here at Hogwarts. He wouldn't trust himself with all the power that came with being the Minister of Magic.

Though this letter had little to do with his frustration.

Carlee's letter was lying opened on top of Turnbull's letter.

He had requested that she send him an owl by today and she had yet to comply. This in itself was frustrating. Very few people refused a request from Albus Dumbledore.

This particular letter on his desk had been sent to him a few days ago. He had started writing to her in the hope that she would warm to him and confide the truth of what had happened over the summer, but so far his attempts had been fruitless.

At first she was friendly and open. She had been slightly concerned about having to start her schooling at the second year level when she came back but he told her that, if she studied on her own and passed the second year exams, there was no reason she couldn't start classes with her classmates. He had made sure to tell her that she could take all the time that she needed, and she had thanked him for his understanding.

Lately though, her letters were short and her tone was brusque. He supposed that he had pushed too much but it was frustrating nonetheless. On his desk, in the letters from Ella to Lily, was evidence of who had murdered Tomas Baker and his children. There was proof enough for him of who had committed such horrendous acts, and there was very little that Dumbledore could do about it. The letters had only confirmed his earlier suspicions, they wouldn't convince others. That is what he needed Carlee for. She had been there, she had seen the murderers, and she could give undeniable evidence.

In her latest letter she had written, '_I am sorry that you think I am being difficult, I know you haven't said so outright but your last letter implies as much. I don't know if I am handling the situation correctly and telling you the truth would probably be the _right _thing to do but I can't and I won't. I have lost most of my family and I have to hold onto the rest of them. Unless you can guarantee to me that my brother Chris and I could stay together somewhere that he would be safe, I can't help you."_

He had written back to her saying that he could guarantee their safety at Hogwarts and that both of them would be together here, though, when he sent it he knew that wasn't what she had meant and that it wouldn't work.

He was angry because he couldn't promise her that they would be able to stay together. He was angry because he couldn't get her the help that she needed. He couldn't get her away from the one place that was the most dangerous for her to be.

Dumbledore was angry because he felt as though he failed. Failure was not something that he was particularly used to.

oOoOo

December rolled round and the few inches of snow turned into feet. Herbology was moved indoors as was Care of Magical Creatures classes, while Hagrid was set to the task of shoveling the snow from the paths around the school. And the moon was getting ready to start a new cycle.

James, Sirius and Remus were huddled under the invisibility cloak on their way to the library at ten o'clock. Their curfew had been an hour ago.

"There has to be a faster way to get there." Sirius muttered. Walking from the seventh floor to the third under the cloak with two other people was a time consuming task. "It's not like we can even take this thing off either." Sirius muttered. "We don't know where Filch is."

"Filch isn't deaf you know. He can hear you if you're talking." James said, rolling his eyes and urging them on.

"I just think it would be useful if we knew some shortcuts."

"And a way to avoid Filch." Remus added. He still wasn't happy with James and Sirius wanting to become animagi for him but he had come to the conclusion that it was better to go along with them rather than let them be completely unsupervised.

"That's our next project." Sirius said, nodding. "Something that shows secret passages and helps us avoid Filch."

"Okay, so we need a map and a dog." James said sarcastically.

"A magical map, obviously." Sirius nodded. "And what is a dog going to do?"

"It will scare Miss. Norris away." James said. "I hate that cat."

"James hates cats." Sirius whispered around James, at Remus.

"I know." Remus chuckled.

"I like the map idea though." Sirius said in a more serious tone. "A map of all the school's secret passages, that sounds brilliant."

"Now we just need to find them." Remus said. "Where does one look for a secret passage?"

"In the most obvious of places," James said. "Because that is where nobody ever thinks to look. Why not hide something in plain sight?"

"I don't think it is going to be quite that easy." Sirius said. "But it's somewhere to start."

They had reached the library by now and James eased the door open slowly to avoid making its hinges squeak. Once it was far enough open, the three boys slipped inside, closing it equally carefully behind them. After a quick glance around the room to make sure it was empty, James pulled the cloak off them and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Okay, what are we looking for?" Remus asked, lighting his wand and directing it towards the bookcases. "Just anything about animagi? That's a bit broad, don't you think?"

"Don't question our system." Sirius said, pretending to be offended. "We actually need a specific book." He said in a more serious tone. "_The Art of Transforming."_

"Who wrote it?" Remus asked, sliding his finger across the bindings of the books.

James reached into his pocket and produced a half sheet of parchment. "Hansel Kingston."

They searched in silence for a moment until Sirius called out, having found the book in question.

James took the book from Sirius and put it into his robes, pulling out the invisibility cloak again.

"Wait? Are going to take the book?" Remus asked, looking horrified.

"No, we're going to go find the librarian and ask her permission." Sirius said cheekily. "We aren't going to get caught, Remus. We've been doing this for months." And, as if on cue, they heard footsteps in the corridor outside the door.

"Did you hear something?" Professor McGonagall asked in a muffled voice. "It sounds like there is somebody in the library."

"Who could that be?" Professor Flitwick inquired. "It's been locked for over an hour."

"Look near the bottom of the door, it's light!" The boys exchanged nervous glances and then Remus looked at his lit wand.

"Nox." He whispered as quietly as he could, but the wands light didn't diminish. "Nox." He said a bit louder. This time the wand complied but Professor McGonagall had heard him.

"It sounds like students." She said sternly. The three boys could hear her hand on the door knob and shuffled together as quickly as they could, James throwing the cloak over them all. They didn't bother to be to quiet about it now, Professor McGonagall already knew that somebody was in there.

The door flew open and Professor McGonagall stood there, holding her lit wand up and looking out across the sea of deserted tables and the shelves of books.

"I know that you're in here." She said taking a step into library. "Show yourselves."

"It appears to be empty Minerva." Professor Flitwick said after a few moments of silence.

"There is somebody in here." She said, just loudly enough for him to hear. "I am waiting and I will continue to wait." The boys looked at each other, they knew that she couldn't see them but that didn't keep them from being scared.

The light from her wand cast shadows around the large circular room and Remus marveled at how the light traveled right through them. The cloak was more than just being invisible; it was like they didn't exist when they were under it.

"Are you sure you heard someone?" Professor Flitwick asked. "I never did like being in a dark library. Besides, this castle makes all sorts of odd noises."

"I heard someone." She said quietly, her hawk-like eyes still searching the portion of the library that her wand had lit up. "You are facing a week of detention right now. If you continue to hide, it will go up."

James nudged Sirius in the ribs and tilted his head towards the door. Sirius wasn't exactly sure if they could all get through the door together but he nodded and the three of them all took a small step, careful to keep their footsteps as quiet as they could. The whole time they tiptoed towards the door, McGonagall continued to try and lure them out of hiding though she didn't lose her nerve as the room continued to stay quiet and still. She knew that there was somebody in there.

Once the boys were near the door, they lined up so they could all get past McGonagall. She was standing just inside the door and there was barely any room for them to get past her, and Flitwick was standing in the corridor.

They all took a synchronized step forward, once, twice, three times before Flitwick took a step towards them. Sirius, who was in the front of the line, took a quick step back, knocking James into Remus. They froze, not knowing if they had made enough noise to capture their Professors' attention.

Sirius was standing on James' feet, and with Remus right behind him, there wasn't much James could do. He had his face stuck in Sirius's hair and it was starting to tickle his nose. The itch was traveling up and back to his throat. He bit down on his tongue and squeezed his eyes. He wouldn't be the one to blow their cover. He wouldn't let McGonagall find out about his father's cloak. But he couldn't hold it in anymore.

"ACHOOO!"

"RUN!" Sirius yelled, whipping the cloak off and shoving it in his pocket as Professor McGonagall spun around. She was clearly confused as to how they had reached there without her having noticed but she didn't have much time to contemplate this for the three recently visible boys took off, running down the corridor.

Even having only caught a glimpse of them, she already knew who they were. "Potter, Black, Lupin!" She called after them. They stopped, knowing that there was no point in running. She stalked towards them and stood in the center of their group. "What do you think you are doing out of bed after lights out?"

"Just fancied a visit to the library, Professor." Sirius said.

"Don't be impertinent to me Black." She said, placing a hand on her temples. "It is late, and I have things to do. What were you three doing in the library?"

"Nothing." They all answered.

"Turn out your pockets." She said sternly. Sirius blinked a few times, and felt the cloak weighing down his pocket. He couldn't very well take that out and show her. James seemed to be thinking along the same line.

"We took this." He said pulling out a less conspicuous book that he had in his pocket. A book on werewolves.

She took the book from them. "You _stole_ a book? It's a library, you are allowed to borrow books. Why would you-oh." She looked at the title of the book and then glanced at Remus who was blushing to his shoes. She glanced toward Professor Flitwick and then back at the three boys before her. "I will not allow this sort of behavior to continue in my house." She said, though the anger had left her voice. "I will not have you rampaging throughout the castle in the middle of the night, stealing school property like a gang of marauders. You will join me in detention for the next week, every night at seven. Now off to bed." She turned and started walking towards Professor Flitwick but not before giving James the book back without the other professor seeing.

oOoOo

The next day in the library, Lily and Severus were sitting at the table farthest from the door. Lily couldn't see out of the door because her chair was behind a shelf and no one who walked in the library could see Lily. Severus had moved his chair closer to hers than normal and he couldn't be easily seen from the door either. He kept glancing towards the door and this was not going unnoticed. Lily was getting irritated.

"Are you waiting for someone?" She asked, laying her quill down.

"What?" Severus asked, leaning back towards her. "No, why do you think that?"

"You keep looking up at the door every few seconds. It's annoying." Lily said hotly. "If there's some place you'd rather be, by all means, don't let me keep you."

"What are you going on about Lily?" He asked, taken back at the sudden outburst.

"Why do you keep looking at the door?" She asked, still very cross.

"I haven't been." He said. She raised an eyebrow at him and he looked down at the table. "Okay, I have."

"I know that. I asked you why."

"Just watching who comes in."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Well, it's been distracting you all afternoon. What is it, Sev?"

"Nothing Lily, just leave it."

"I am not going to just leave it. You're my best friend. What's bothering you?"

"Nothing."

"I don't believe that."

"You're going to have to."

"Sev?"

"No."

"Severus?"

"No, Lily." The door to the library opened and he peeked his head around the bookshelf.

"You did it again!"

"Right!" He grabbed his books and shoved them in his bag. "If you're going to keep going on about this, I'm leaving."

"You don't have to go."

"Whatever, Lily."

"I won't pry."

"It's too late." It really wasn't. Charles Avery had just walked into the library. "I'll see you later." He added getting up and stalking away.

Lily sat there for a moment in shocked silence. What was going on? He never walked away from her, or acted like he had been. She looked around the shelf and didn't see anyone that hadn't been there earlier, at least anyone who stood out.

She gathered up her own books and started to put them into her bag.

"What's the matter with you, Evans?" Lily looked up and sighed. What was James Potter doing in the Library on a Friday afternoon?

"Nothing." She snapped. "Leave me alone, Potter."

"Someone's in a mood."

"And you're not helping."

"Trouble with Snivellus." He asked. "Did you accidentally touch his hair?"

"I really don't think that you are in any position to criticize anybody's hair."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, reaching up and running his hand through his hair. "I have wonderful hair."

"Right." She said, slinging her bag on her shoulder and stepping around him.

"He was hiding you." James called after her. Lily paused for a moment, but chose to ignore him. James Potter was insufferable, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. He, unfortunately, wasn't going to let her just leave. "You know that, right?"

"Go away, Potter." She said, walking out of the library. He followed her.

"He is embarrassed by you."

"Go away, Potter."

"He doesn't want his Slytherin friends to see you."

"Tha- Go away, Potter." He almost had her there.

"I'd be angry with him if I were you too."

"I am not angry with him!" She said, spinning around to face him. "I am angry with you. Just leave me alone."

"I was just telling you-"

"I don't care! Just go!"

"I-"

"GO!" She shouted.

"Fine. Be that way." He was angry now. "But when he does turn out to be like all the others, don't say I didn't warn you."

"All what others?" But this time, James just shook his head and walked away. Lily rolled her eyes and turned back, heading towards the common room. She wasn't going to listen to him. He didn't know what he was talking about. She had been friends with Sev since she was nine years old. In fact, she wasn't even going to give credence to his ridiculous theory by thinking about it any longer.

Severus wasn't hiding her.

oOoOo

Lily and Severus didn't see much of each other until Monday. They had potions together and they were making potions with a partner. Lily quickly moved over to Severus and claimed him as a partner. She told herself that she was so quick to forgive him because their tiff hadn't really been that bad, not because Potter was watching her now.

"You aren't angry with me then?" He asked.

"Of course I am." Lily retorted under her breath.

"But…"

"But I am going to forget it. I am sorry that I got irritable with you."

"I am sorry I stormed out."

"Friends?"

"Of course, Lily."

"Just checking." She said, smiling to herself. James had been wrong. No matter how much she tried to ignore what he had said on Friday, it was nice to have proof. If he was trying to hide their friendship, he wouldn't talk to her in class.

On the other side of the classroom, James was shaking his head. "I just don't understand," He sighed, putting his cauldron on the stand and turning the heat up to the appropriate amount. "What does she see in him?"

"We don't have a clue." Savanna said, she was working at her own cauldron behind James and Remus. "I mean, he is sort of creepy."

"I know!" James said, glad that he wasn't the only one who thought so.

"He usually hangs out with Evan Rosier, and his dad was quoted in the Prophet a while ago saying that he thought the Raiders had the right idea." Coral added.

"Does Lily just not care?" James asked.

"I think she turns a blind eye." Savanna said, looking over at Lily and Severus. They were laughing at something as they chopped up their ingredients. "They've known each other for a long time."

"What do you mean? Didn't they meet last year?"

"No." Coral laughed. "If they did, she probably would like him just as much as I do."

"And how much is that?" Sirius asked. He and Frank were at the same table as James and Remus, but the opposite side.

"I don't know." She mused, crinkling her face up as she thought. "How much does one like being trampled?"

"Not much." Sirius said, nodding.

"So when did she meet him?"

"I don't know. Two years before coming to school." Savanna said. "I think anyway. She said that he was the one who told her she was a witch. Plus, they live near each other."

James turned back to his table. His mind was reeling. They had been friends for two _years_ before coming to school? Why did it have to be Snivellus?

"You okay, James?" Remus asked.

"I'm okay." He said, chopping up the foxglove violently. "Did you already crush the Flitterby Moth?" He said, turning to Remus.

"Yes, and I added the Bouncing Bulb. You can't add that until it turns-"

"Red, I know. I'm not stupid." James huffed. "We made this potion last year."

"I know." Frank said, trying to ignore James' tone. "Why is Slughorn making us make the Pumpkin Head potion _again_?"

"Why does he make us do anything?" Sirius asked his partner.

"Umm… He's a teacher. It's his job." Frank said, laughing.

"I don't think that's a good reason." Sirius yawned. "Can't we do something a bit more interesting?"

"You could help me with our potion." Frank said, though he was doing all the work, he didn't look too upset.

"That isn't really what I meant by interesting."

"Right." Frank laughed.

"We need a prank." Sirius mused. James' head shot up.

"You know what?" He asked, grinning mischievously. "I couldn't agree more."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And there you have it! A chapter chop full of Marauders stuff! James' crush on Lily, the cloak, mentioning the need for a magical map, getting detention, looking for books on animagi, hating on Severus and wanting to find secret passages. I am only worried that I crammed all that stuff to close together. Let me know what you think. Reviews are cookies! :D<strong>


	14. Chapter Fourteen:Tongues and Green Robes

**AN: Hey guys... sorry about the wait. I had a lot of stuff to do last week. My days left in high school are numbered, something like 50 I think. It's scary and exciting and nerve wracking and BLAH! I don't know what to think most of the time. It's just weird most of the time. Thinking about leaving home, my friends, my family. I don't know what I am going to do next year, I don't know how things are going to work. I know, deep deep down, that I will be fine and it will be a blast, but still. Everything's changing really fast, and I don't really like change. My mom says that I have that in common with my cat, which you didn't need to know...**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy this crazy chapter. Again, sorry it took so long, and for the rant up above. :D**

**Pre-Recs: James and Sirius ended the last chapter by agreeing to Prank Snape. There is an election for The Minister of Magic coming up. Baboom. That's it. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Fourteen: Long Tongues and Green Robes<strong>

"This isn't a prank James." Remus said, trying to reason with him before he got himself expelled. They were walking down the corridor, James and Sirius walking slightly faster than Remus was comfortable with. "This is-"

"Look, you don't have to do it, Remus." Sirius said, wheeling around to face the smaller boy. Remus was taken aback by this. It was what was expected. He was _supposed _to go with them. Sirius could tell that Remus was confused and sighed. "You're a goodie two-shoes. There's nothing wrong with that, in fact we love you for it."

"I am not." He said, puffing his chest out. "I was just expecting a prank."

"Sirius is right, Remus. You don't have to do this." James said, tapping his foot impatiently. "But you do need to make up your mind before he gets to the dungeons."

Remus looked between both of his friends. He still didn't understand why they were doing this in the first place. They were pranksters sure, but Remus didn't think that they were mean. What they were planning on doing however, he would consider malicious. Remus knew how it felt to be on the receiving end.

"Please don't do this." He whispered.

"It's just a bit of fun." James shrugged. "Besides, it's not like he wouldn't."

"Then don't sink down to his level." He tried, but Sirius just laughed.

"His level? Come on Remus, we would never do that."

"So you're not coming?" James asked.

"No." He said, looking at his feet. He hadn't felt this vulnerable around them since they met.

"OK, save us a seat at dinner then." Sirius said and then he and James took off down the corridor. Remus leant against the wall and watched people pass him by. He didn't know why he felt so rotten. He didn't want to go, so he didn't. That wasn't so bad. Except it felt like all he had been doing this year was arguing with James and Sirius. Then there was the fact that he didn't actually stop them.

"What are they doing?" Frank asked, coming up behind Remus.

"Nothing." Remus sighed. "Dinner?"

"Sure, do you mind if we stop at the tower first. I don't really want to lug all this around." He motioned to his books.

"Of course." Remus sighed.

"Are you okay?" Frank asked. "You didn't get another letter about your mum, did you?"

"No, it's not that." Remus said quickly. "It's just that James and Sirius are doing something that they shouldn't be."

"Doesn't that happen most days?" He laughed. "And aren't you usually with them?"

"Well, not today."

"What are they doing?" Frank asked, looking slightly worried. Remus surmised that his worry sprung from the fact that they were in last in the running for the house cup, and he didn't want James and Sirius to lose any more house points.

"Messing with Snape."

"Oh. That's not too bad." Frank grinned. "I mean, he probably deserves it."

"He didn't do anything." Remus said, shaking his head.

"Well, he hasn't not done anything."

"What?"

"I don't know." Frank laughed. "I'm sure they won't do anything too bad."

"I've got my fingers crossed."

oOoOo

About half an hour later after leaving Remus, James and Sirius found themselves in Professor McGonagall's office with Snape.

"You three, especially you two," Here Professor McGonagall paused and directed her piercing glare at James and Sirius. "Know that dueling in the corridors is against school rules." She had begun to pace back and forth. "I cannot fathom what was going through your minds. So, enlighten me. Black?" He stayed silent. "Potter?" He stayed silent as well. "Snape?"

"I was walking to my dormitory and they came up behind me and attacked me." He said hotly. "I didn't do anything. It was self-defense."

"That is a contradiction. You cannot have done nothing and defended yourself." Professor McGonagall sighed. "Which was it?"

"I defended myself but I didn't provoke them."

"Do either of you two have anything to say now?" She asked, turning back to Sirius and James. Sirius shook his head and James had to cough in order to hide his laughter. Sirius hadn't said anything since McGonagall brought them down here because he couldn't. Snape had hit him with an engorgement charm and his tongue had swollen to three times its normal size. It was actually quite amazing that it still fit inside his mouth.

"Snape sent the first hex, actually." James said in a very matter-of-fact tone. "We were the ones defending ourselves."

"Oh?" McGonagall asked, pretending to be surprised. "And who do you think that I am going to believe, Potter? You two have been in my office more often then all of your classmates combined."

"I don't know about that, Professor. Richard and Josiah seem to be in here quite a bit and they are older than us." James said, putting on a thoughtful expression.

"I am not amused." She said sighing.

"He did send the first hex though!" James said. "Show her Sirius." The boy in questions shook his head. "Come on. Do you want to be in detention until Christmas?" He shook his head again, slower this time. "Then open your mouth. You are normally very good at that." Sirius gave his friend and exasperated look and then turned towards McGonagall and opened his mouth. His tongue rolled out down past his chin and she recoiled slightly.

"He wouldn't shut up!" Snape said, without realizing what he had said.

"I thought you were only defending yourself." She said, raising an eyebrow at him. Snape reddened and quickly backtracked.

"No, I mean, yes. I was defending myself-"

"Did you send the first hex, Snape?" She asked, cutting him off.

"Yes." He muttered.

"Very well." She walked over to her desk and scribbled a note on a piece of parchment before sealing it and handing it to Snape. "Take this to Professor Slughorn. He will give you your punishment."

"Yes, Professor." He said solemnly before leaving.

"As for you two," She said, as the door to her office closed behind Snape's billowing robes, "I am very disappointed in both of you, and I have half a mind to write home to your parents."

"Buh he dus sed tha he gig ih!" Sirius exclaimed. James and Professor McGonagall looked at him and then James nodded.

"That's right!" He exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what he said."

"'But he just said that he did it'" James said. "And it's true. He attacked us, why should we get in trouble?"

"I am having a difficult time understanding what you two were doing in the dungeons." She looked at James who gulped.

"Well-" He was saved from having to make up some excuse when the door opened. A tall willowy man that looked to be in his late 60's stood at the threshold. He was dressed in all black and had the ministry emblem on his robes. James and Sirius recognized him at once. He was the Minister of Magic.

"Mr. Turnbull, to what do I owe the pleasure?" McGonagall asked sharply.

"I was wondering where Dumbledore's office is. I seemed to have forgotten."

"Of course." She said. "I hope you don't mind waiting. I am almost finished here."

"Actually, I am on a bit of a tight schedule." He said, looking down at his watch. "I am sure that whatever you're doing can wait." Even though James was hoping that McGonagall would listen to him, he couldn't help but glare at the minister. Vincent Turnbull had been the Minister for as long as James could remember and his father always spoke so highly of him, but he seemed like a git.

"Of course." She replied curtly. "Why don't you two run along to the Great Hall this time?" She didn't wait for a reply before walking out of her office. The Minister nodded at the two boys, pausing when his gaze fell onto James.

"Have I met you?"

"I'm James Potter, sir." He said, wondering why if he was in such a hurry, he had time to chat.

"Ah. Liz and Charles' child."

"She uses Liza, actually." James corrected.

"Aahh." He stood there for a moment and then, as though he suddenly realized that McGonagall had stalked off without him, clapped his hands together. "Well, I'd better be off. It was very nice to meet both of you." They muttered something the Minister took as agreement and then he walked off.

"I wonder what the Minister is doing at Hogwarts." James asked.

"I don ow." Sirius said, his speech still impaired.

"Let's get you to the hospital wing." James laughed. Sirius nodded.

"Ith not thunny, Dames."

"Oh yes it is." They left the office and headed towards the third floor. "What do you think the Minister is doing at Hogwarts?" Sirius just looked at him and James grinned. "Right, you can't talk…But it's odd, don't you think?" Sirius nodded.

"Excuse me, chaps?" A voice called out from behind them. When they turned around, James, and then Sirius had their hands grasped by a slight, young man who looked extremely out of place. He was wearing a bright green robe and horn-rimmed glasses which were crooked. He had dark brown hair in a crop cut, light blue eyes and ears that were far too large. He was just awkward looking. "Could I bother you for a second?" He smiled much too widely, looking frantically between the two boys.

"I suppose so." James said, slightly confused. How did he get into the castle? Who was he?

"I am looking for Professor Dumbledore, do you know where I could find his office? I wouldn't know, I was educated at home, you see. My mum didn't really want me away from home for nine months of the year. She's rather fond of me." He was rambling and James didn't know how to respond. "Oh! Dear me, the name's Nigel."

"James." He said, looking over at Sirius. "This is Sirius."

"Oh my, what happened to his tongue? Or is it always like that?" Nigel asked, looking slightly disturbed. "I don't mean to be rude but I never liked tongues."

"You wanted to see the Headmaster?" James asked.

"Yes! I am supposed to be there now actually." He looked flustered suddenly. "The Minister is probably there already."

"Professor McGonagall took him there a few minutes ago." James said. "If you're supposed to be there, I can take you. Though I think Sirius wants me to drop him off at the hospital wing first."

"Quite understandable." James nodded and then led Nigel and Sirius down a flight of stairs. "What happened to him anyway?"

"We sort of got into a bit of a tiff with a Slytherin." James explained, still a bit unsure of what to think of this boy.

Nigel blinked rapidly a few times and then asked, "What is a Slytherin?"

"Wath a Sthlytherin?" Sirius laughed, but chocked on his tongue. James slapped him on the back a bit and shook his head.

"Don't try to talk." He instructed. "Slytherin is a house here. We're Gryffindors." Nigel nodded. "So, what's the Minister doing at Hogwarts?"

Nigel looked around, avoiding James' gaze. "Just here to visit, I'm sure."

"Come on Nige, we're helping you aren't we? Can't you tell us anything?"

"It's just about the upcoming election, I'm sure. I'm just the assistant. I don't get told everything." He smiled, but sounded bitter.

"That doesn't seem fair." Nigel nodded.

"It's really not. I have to go everywhere with him and he just expects me to stand at the door and hold his coat. I got 7 O's on my N.E.W.T. exams, you know. I am more than qualified to have a _real_ job."

"You still have to take the N.E.W.T.s if you're educated at home?"

"Yes."

"And he still won't let you do anything?"

"No. He only let me come today as a 'reference of character.' What does that mean anyway? Am I supposed to stand there and lie through my teeth to Albus Dumbledore. Vincent Turnbull is not-" Nigel was about to go on but seemed to change his mind. "Is this the right place?" It was, they had reached the hospital wing.

"Let me go explain things to Madam Pomfrey." James nodded at Nigel and grabbed Sirius's arm.

They walked into the wing. Madam Pomfrey was in the back fussing over a small girl. James cleared his throat to let her know that they were there. She looked over at them nodded and turned back to the girl. "I'll be right back, dear." She crossed the room and looked between the two boys. "Is Remus alright?"

"Is that why you came over here? He's fine, Sirius is the one with the problem." James laughed. Sirius was trying to get his tongue back into his mouth, but it no longer fit and was drooping down to his chest.

"Ah, an engorgement charm. I can't say that I have never seen it used like this [double negative – maybe It's rare to see it used like that – if that's what you mean] ." She said, shaking her head. "I need to finish over there first, you can wait on the bed here," She showed Sirius to a bed, "And you can leave." She said, looking over her shoulder at James.

"It's a pleasure seeing you too, Madam Pomfrey." James said. He turned to Sirius, who was sitting on the edge of the bed swinging his legs back and forth. "Meet me in the Great Hall." He nodded.

James walked over to the large doors and slipped out into the corridor to find it empty. Nigel was nowhere to be seen. James ran his hand through his hair and decided to look for the frazzled, young wizard. He turned left, which was a direct course to Dumbledore's office, and started jogging. Nigel couldn't have gone too far, he had been only gone for a few moments and Nigel had never been here before.

Luckily, James had turned the right direction and he spotted Nigel's robes as he turned down a different corridor that led nowhere. James ran to catch up to him. "Nigel, wait for me! You're going the wrong way." James turned the corner where he had seen Nigel turn and was shocked to find the corridor empty, again. "Nigel?" He called out uncertainly. "Nigel, this isn't the way to Dumbledore's office." There was no answer. He walked the length of the corridor, finding nothing.

He was certain that he had seen him turn this way and it was a dead end. There was nowhere to go, yet Nigel wasn't here. How was that possible? More importantly, why was Nigel running from him in the first place?

After a few more minutes of searching the empty corridor, James gave up and headed to the Great Hall.

oOoOo

Frank and Remus had taken the shortest route to the Gryffindor tower but nevertheless, they had yet to make it to the Great Hall. They chatted amicably about trivial matters and Remus was able to forget his feeling of unease about refusing to join Sirius and James.

"So, you wouldn't mind then?" Frank asked, smiling widely at Remus as they bounced down a set of stairs.

"Of course not. I need to finish the essay anyway."

"Thanks. It's just that I am atrocious at potions. I could use all the help I can get."

"I have to warn you, I am not the greatest."

"You're better than I am. At least Slughorn doesn't look ill whenever he peers into your cauldron." Remus laughed.

"I think you actually did make him ill last week. His face got all green and he let us out of class early."

"You're such a good friend, Remus." Frank chuckled. Remus was still laughing and Frank held up his hand to silence him. "Shh!" He added when Remus didn't immediately stop. "Do you hear that?"

"What?" Remus strained his ears to listen for whatever Frank had heard.

"It sounds like two people fighting." Frank grinned. "Maybe James and Sirius haven't got caught yet." He motioned for Remus to follow him and, because Remus seemed to have very little say in the matter, he did. They followed the sound of rising voices and stopped just outside an empty classroom. Remus put his hand on Frank's arm to stop him from walking it.

"That's not Sirius and James." He hissed. Frank looked at him in surprise.

"You're right!" They both leaned towards the door and listened.

"- don't care if he bloody well dragged you here on a leash! I told you to stay away from the school! _HE_ told you to stay away."

"What was I supposed to do? 'Sorry, actually I can't go to the meeting with you because I am working for-" There was a resonating smack that caused Remus to flinch.

"Don't say his name." The other voice growled. Remus didn't know where he had heard this voice before but it sounded familiar. "You should have feigned an illness or got run down by an angry troll. I don't really care what you should have told him. You're here now." He sighed. "Bloody berk. Why would you agree to go to meet with-"

"I'm sorry."

"I know. We'll just have to be careful, alright? I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I know. I'll leave now, tell him that I got sick and that's why I never came. I was never here."

"That's a good lad." There was a chuckle. "Now, can you tell me what in Merlin's name you're wearing?"

"What's wrong with it?" There was more laughter.

"Nothing. Get out of here now. I'll see you at Christmas." There was suddenly the sound of footsteps coming towards the door and Frank and Remus looked at each other in shock. They were both going to get caught eavesdropping. Frank grabbed Remus's robes and pulled him over to the staircase, where they both ducked behind the banister just as the door opened.

Some strange looking bloke with bright green robes walked out, looked up and down the corridor before coming out and closing the door behind him. He stalked off and Frank stood up.

"Who do you think he was talking too?"

"I think we should get down to the Great Hall before we have to find out."

"Yeah, probably." They raced down the hall and only started talking when they had put three flights of stairs in-between them and the room. "That was the weirdest conversation I have ever heard."

"I've heard that voice before." Remus said.

"Which one?"

"The gruff sounding one. What do you think they were talking about?"

"I don't know. It all sounded rather suspicious to me."

"Whose name couldn't he say?"

"I don't know, Remus."

"Well- Gah! What is going on? Who was that man in the green robes, why was he getting smacked one moment and then getting teased about his taste in robes the next?"

"Who was he supposed to meet here?" Frank added onto the list of questions Remus was compiling.

"What?"

"He said that he was supposed to meet someone, that was why he was here."

"Probably Dumbledore."

"Why do you say that?"

"Who else would it be?"

"Good point." They were silent, both caught up in their own thoughts and that is how they were when they reached the Great Hall. James and Sirius, who had had his tongue restored to its former size, ran up to Remus when they entered.

"Didn't happen to see a crazy bloke in an obnoxious green robe, did you?" James gushed.

"Funny you should ask." Frank laughed. "We did actually."

"Really? I was only joking. Sirius and I ran into this bloke named Nigel. I was going to tell you about it, but why do you look like you've seen a ghost."

"He was talking to a teacher, Frank." Remus said suddenly. Frank, ignoring the questioning stares from James and Sirius, looked up at the staff table and gasped.

"McGonagall and Dumbledore are in his office with the Minister." Sirius said.

"It couldn't have been them anyway." Frank sighed.

"It was Seresin." Remus said quietly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And the plot thickens. Does anybody else really like Nigel? He was a lot of fun to write. Let me know if you have any questions. As long as the answers aren't spoilers, I will give them to you.<strong>

** I would really appreciate some reviews before I post the next chapter, but I am not going to say 'I'm not posting until I get five reviews!' But let's pretend that I did, yeah? I'm really just glad that you guys are reading this actually, but I still send Reviewers virtual cookies!**

**Try and piece that all together before I reveal some of the answers in the next chapter. Until then, Cheers!**

~Craz


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Red and Green

**AN: Here you are, a day early because I won't be able to do it tomorrow. I hope you all enjoy. :D**

**I just want to let you know two things. First, there is a lot of LJ banter at the end of this. And secondly, I refer to Voldemort as who-knows-who, instead of you-know-who! I loved that. :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen: Red and Green<strong>

"What was Seresin?" James asked, pulling Remus's sleeve towards the door. The group reconvened outside of the doors before Remus answered.

"Frank and I were walking down here when we heard yelling. First we thought it was you two and Snape, but it wasn't. It was Seresin and whoever was in the green robes."

"He was supposed to go to a meeting of some sort but Seresin didn't want him to be in the school." Frank added.

"Wait!" Sirius laughed. "Seresin knows Nigel?" James chuckled too.

"I don't think this is funny." Remus said. "Something is going on."

"I don't think so." James laughed.

"You weren't there." Frank said. "It was rather suspicious."

"What was suspicious about Nigel? His robes, his rambling or the fact that he looked like a ten-year-old." Sirius laughed, James however, looked like he was thinking it over.

"He disappeared after I dropped you off at the hospital wing."

"Why were you in the hospital wing?"

"Never mind." Sirius waved him off. "I told you, it was probably because he's a loon."

"He _ran_ away from me." James said, shaking his head. "And then he disappeared. In an empty corridor. One moment he was there, the next he was gone."

"Oh come on! Did you see him?" Sirius asked. "There is no way he is mixed up in anything suspicious."

"What are you boys doing?" They all jumped and turned to face Professor Seresin. "A bit jumpy this afternoon, aren't we? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." They all said a bit too quickly.

"That's a lie." He stated rather bluntly. He looked between the four boys and then grinned. "Who is it?" When he was only met with blank stares, he elaborated. "Who's the girl? Which one of you likes her?"

"Oh!" James said, only fumbling slightly. "I didn't think it was that obvious, sir."

"Please! I am not too old to remember what it was like to be twelve."

"Well, I hope you wouldn't be to terribly offended if we didn't tell you. Remus is rather shy." James nodded towards Remus, who blushed as though they actually had been discussing a girl he was interested in.

"I can understand that. Just make sure you boys don't miss dinner." He started to walk into the Great Hall but turned around when he got to the doors. "Hey, Lupin." He said, much to Remus's embarrassment. "If you like a girl, you've got to show her. Big grand gestures. The birds like that sort of stuff."

"Thanks." Remus muttered towards his shoes as Sirius snickered. Professor Seresin chuckled and then left them alone.

"Why me?" Remus exclaimed.

"I don't know! Do you know how hard it is to lie under pressure to a teacher that almost just found us talking about him?" James sighed exasperatedly. "You're all lucky I could come up with anything."

"Yes, James. You're our hero." Sirius said sarcastically.

"Anyway…" Frank said. "You followed Nigel down an empty corridor that was a dead end?" James nodded. "Then, a few minutes later, Remus and I hear him and Seresin arguing. Something about how he's not supposed to be in the school at all. That he was given orders to stay away by who-knows-who, and then they made Christmas plans."

"This is odd." James said. "Did they say why he wasn't supposed to be in the school."

"Seresin said he was 'under orders.'"

"Whose orders?" Sirius asked.

"Seresin hit Nigel when he was about to say his name." Remus said quietly. "What was Nigel doing in the school anyway?"

"He's the Ministers assistant. He was here to meet Dumbledore." James said.

"I'm confused." Frank said. "Nigel is the Minister's assistant, but he's also working for somebody who doesn't want him in Hogwarts and he knows Seresin?"

"Well," Sirius looked determined as he spoke. "We can work out how Seresin knows him."

"Oh, and how's that?" James asked.

"We can persuade him. Marauder style."

"I don't think that's an actual thing." James laughed. "But I like it."

"I told you two to let it go." Remus sighed, smiling nonetheless. Frank looked at him for an explanation, so Remus complied. "McGonagall called us 'marauders' the other night, now they think it's some kind of nickname."

"It does have a certain ring to it."

"Thank you, Frank." James said, looking at Remus pointedly.

"Sorry if I don't want to be known for stealing."

"That's not all we do, Remus." Sirius sighed. "We also just wreak havoc in general. And we're cool."

"Well, if that's what it means." Remus said shaking his head.

"I knew you'd come round." Sirius said, clapping him on the back. "Now, let's get some food my fellow Marauders. And Frank."

"Thanks." Frank laughed.

"That's fine." Sirius said.

oOoOo

The 'Marauders' could hardly sit through Charms' class, which they had in the afternoon. Professor Flitwick had decided that it was to be a lecture day and even Remus was too excited to take good notes. It would have been fine if DADA wasn't their next class. They were all itching to get there so they could talk to Seresin and find out how he knew Nigel.

"This charm can be very useful when one is-"

"How much longer?" Sirius sighed dramatically.

"Ten minutes." James answered. He had been counting. "We could have done with something a bit more interesting today."

"Today has been interesting enough." Remus said from the other side of James. "Between your fight with Snape and the whole Nigel incident, I just want to go up to the tower and sleep."

"I want to work out the whole Seresin and Nigel thing." James said.

"I do too." Remus whispered. "I was just saying, I'm tired."

"Boys? Do you have something you would like to share with the class?"

"No, sorry Professor." Remus said, looking appropriately abashed.

"Yes, well, pay attention."

Sirius bent down to his bag and pulled out a piece of parchment.

'How are we going to get Seresin to talk?' He wrote and then passed the note to James.

'I guess we could just ask him.'

'NO!' Remus wrote boldly. 'We'll ask him what he's doing for Christmas. Frank and I heard him say that he was going to see Nigel for Christmas.'

'That's a good idea.' James wrote.

'Yeah. Who's going to do it?'

'I'll do it. I'll bring up Abrams or something.' James passed the note to Remus.

'Using a deceased family friend to get something from somebody? Really, James?'

'Shut up, Remus. It's a good plan.'

'Sure, but it's still insensitive.'

'Okay, do you have any other ideas?'

'No.'

'Well…'

'Fine.' Sirius waved his arms at James and Remus for they had been passing the note only between the two of them. James sighed and handed the parchment to him.

'Thanks for excluding me there. Abrams could work, though I agree with Remus.'

'Well, we don't know what they are planning, or what they're up to.'

'Thank you Sirius. And we get it, James.'

"Boys? Are you paying attention?" Professor Flitwick asked, eyeing them and the parchment that they had been passing between them. James quickly grabbed the note and shoved it into his robe pocket.

"Yes, Professor."

"Than what did I just say?"

"You were talking about the Locomotor charm." James said. "And all its uses." Flitwick's gaze flickered over the three of them again.

"Very well." And he returned to teaching.

"He's been saying the same thing all class." James explained. Sirius laughed and Remus shook his head.

oOoOo

Finally the boys arrived at DADA. They door was already open, which meant that they were going to have a practical lesson today. Most of the class had yet to arrive but even that didn't make the boys loiter outside the door. They usually hated being the first to arrive.

"Afternoon, lads." Seresin said when they entered. "Did you work everything out?"

"Yes." Sirius said. "We've moved onto a new topic now."

"Oh?"

"Christmas plans." James said, nodding. "My parents are thinking of inviting the Abrams over for Christmas dinner."

"That's awfully nice of them." Seresin smiled. "The Abrams are good people. Willoughby didn't deserve what he got."

"Nah." James agreed. "What are you doing for Christmas?"

"I'll be going home to my family. I've found that I rather miss my wife while I am here."

"Yeah." James said. "Is it just going to be you and Mrs. Seresin then?" Seresin laughed and shook his head.

"No, our son will be there."

"You have a son?" Sirius asked.

"What? You don't think I look like the nurturing type?" He laughed again. "Yes, he's older then you lot by about six or seven years."

"Huh. I guess I didn't think of you as a family man." Sirius said.

"Most people wouldn't think of your father as a family man." Seresin countered.

"He's not." Sirius agreed.

"What house was your son in?" James asked, trying to steer the conversation back to Nigel.

"Nige didn't come to Hogwarts. Probably should have, but his mum didn't want him to. She said she'd miss him to much."

"Oh." James said. That was all he could respond with. Nigel was Seresin's son! Seresin had a child who was Nigel. This was bizarre! The difference in Nigel and Seresin was comical, and Seresin was Nigel's father.

By now most of the class had settled in and they went to take their usual seats in the back of the room.

"Alright, class!" Seresin said, turning to address the room. "Today I am going to put you into pairs and you will practice the Sponge Knee curse." The class muttered excitedly and Seresin let do so for a moment. "Let's divide up and start working. Clifford with Bones, Buckle with Green, Black with MacDonald, Potter with Evans, Lupin with Petigrew…" He went on listing the rest of the class but Remus and Peter were both staring at each other. They hadn't talked at all since last year and they only time they had been near each other this year when they didn't have to be was when Peter had helped them carry sweets up to the tower. "Get to work!" The class shuffled around and Remus sighed. He took a deep breath and walked over to where Peter was standing.

"Looks like we're partners." He said quietly, trying to make eye contact. Peter was looking down at his shoes and just nodded mutely. "Look, I know you don't like me, but school is important to me-"

"It's not that I dislike you!" Peter said suddenly. Remus looked at him, at a loss for words. "I mean," his face started turning red. "I just, you know, think it's frightening."

"It is." Remus said quietly. "It's absolutely terrifying for me." Peter looked up at him. "But you will only ever see me as a person."

"I know but… Remus." He sighed. "I jump at my own shadow." Remus chuckled.

"I thought you stopped doing that."

"I thought so too." Peter grinned. He suddenly looked down at his feet and frowned. "I suppose I owe you an apology."

"No you don't. I expected James and Sirius to behave the same way you have been."

"No, not for that. For the things I said to James about you. I didn't mean them. I know that you're a nice person. I was just angry."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Remus said quietly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

"James and I got into a fight about you before the first Gryffindor Quidditch match. I said some things I shouldn't have."

"Oh."

"I just didn't understand why they would have chosen you over me. I mean, you're a- you know, and they still like you better." Remus was, again, speechless.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." He said finally. They were silent for a while.

"POTTER!" They both jumped at the shrillness of the scream. "What was that?" It was Lily, yelling at James from the other side of the room.

"I don't want to hex you, Evans."

"That doesn't mean you can hex Eustace!"

"He didn't mind. He thought it was funny. Right Eustace?"

"Keep me out of this please." Eustace laughed.

"_I_ am your partner." She seethed.

"I don't want to hex _you._"

"Why not?" Remus laughed as he saw James run his hand through his hair.

"No reason."

"What do you mean, 'no reason?' You have to have a reason."

"Well, I don't."

"Yes you do."

"Leave it, Lily."

"It's Evans."

"I'm pretty sure your name is Lily."

"You don't get to call me that."

"Why not?"

"'No reason.'" She mocked.

"That's not fair."

"Does he still like her?" Peter asked. Seresin was moving towards James and Lily to solve their problem.

"Yes." They were silent again. "What are you doing for Christmas?"

"Going to my cousins' house. You?"

"I'm going home."

"Fun."

"Yes. We should probably start practicing the jinx now."

"Probably, I am completely rubbish though."

"I'll help you." Remus said.

"Thanks, Remus."

oOoOo

"I can't wait until the holidays." Lily said during breakfast. "Only four more days and I will get to go home!"

"It seems like it's taking forever!" Coral sighed.

"It does." Savanna agreed. "I just want to go home, curl up next to the fireplace and have my mum make me some hot chocolate. She makes _the_ best hot chocolate in the world."

"Stop bragging." Coral said. "My mum can't even make toast."

"Isn't there a spell for that?" Savanna asked.

"Yes. That is how pathetic my mum is in the kitchen."

"You have house elves though." Mary said. "So you can get them to make you some."

"That's true." Coral grinned. "Oh! Look who it is." She squealed.

"Shut up, Coral." Lily said, blushing slightly. She knew who she was talking about before she heard his obnoxious voice. They had been taking the Micky out of her for days now. All she had said was that it was sweet that he hadn't wanted to jinx her.

"Morning, Evans." James said, taking the seat next to her.

"Nobody said you could sit here."

"Steady on." James said. "I have something to give to you." Lily looked over at him in surprise. "But you'll have to be nice to me."

"Do I _want_ what you're going to give me?" She asked.

He looked as if he was deliberating the point. "I think so." He said after a moment.

"Okay…" She held out her hand.

"Not so fast." James smiled. "You have to agree to let me sit here." Lily had no idea what James was going to give her, or if she even wanted it. But there was something in his eyes that made her think that she _did_ want whatever it was.

"Where's Sirius and Remus?" She asked, instead of answering.

"Enjoying the thing that I gave them. I am being selfless right now you see. I could be enjoying _my_ thing, but I came to give you yours."

"You have letters from Carlee?" Lily guessed. James sighed.

"You weren't supposed to work it out."

"Well, I did. Hand it over."

"Do I get to sit here?"

"How about I don't hex you?"

"I don't think you'd do that in the Great Hall."

"Potter?"

"Evans?"

"Aren't they cute?" Coral whispered to Savanna. Lily blushed and James beamed.

"Probably the cutest." James said.

"Give me my letter." Lily said holding out her hand.

"That wasn't a very nice way to ask for it."

"Potter."

"Fine." He sighed, pulling a piece of parchment out of his robes. "But I am still sitting here." He looked over at the other three girls. "I have some for you too." He pulled out three more and handed them out.

"It's about time." Coral shrieked, tearing hers open.

"Potter?"

"Yes?" James said, looking up from his own letter.

"Do you know who Henderson is?"

"Yes, why?"

"Is he running for Minister?"

"Yes, why?"

"Carlee said that he's ahead of Turnbull in the polls."

"That's strange." James said, crinkling his brow.

"Why?"

"He was completely unknown until about two months ago. He just came out of nowhere."

"Why does she seem worried about it?"

"I don't know. Any unforeseen change can't mean anything too good."

They finished reading their letters in silence.

"It was nice of her to write all of us Christmas letters." Mary said, putting her down and smiling. "I miss her."

"Last year she made us play that dreadful game with the buscuits someone sent her." Coral nodded. "They were all over our dormitory by the end of the night. I don't think I ever laughed so much in my life." James grinned.

"I have idea what you're talking about, but I miss her too."

"What are you doing for Christmas, James?" Coral asked suddenly.

"I'm going home. Actually all the Marauders are."

"All the what?" Lily asked.

"Marauders. It's our nickname for the group. Me, Sirius and Remus. We're the Marauders."

"That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard." Lily said.

"I don't think I would go that far." James laughed. "Though you didn't eat dinner with us yesterday."

"Isn't a marauder someone who steals things?" Savanna asked.

"Yes. Yes they are."

"And you want to be known as a group of thieves?" Mary asked.

"We are changing the definition slightly, but yes." James smiled.

"Okay, that is pretty stupid." Coral said. "Are you expecting that to catch on or something?"

"Yes. Everybody in the school is going to call us that."

"I doubt it."

"McGonagall started it." James sighed.

"What were you stealing when she called you that?" Lily asked.

"Nothing you should concern yourself with." James grinned.

"You are an idiot."

"I resent that."

"I don't care."

"Well, Evans, what are you doing for the holiday?"

"I am going home as well." She said. "It will be a glorious two weeks away from you."

"I will miss you." James said. "But I think I'll survive. Maybe I'll write to you. Yes?"

"Don't." Lily said, wide eyed. "I mean it. Don't send me any owls."

"Well, I don't know how to work the muggle post." James sighed. "How else would I get a letter to you?"

"Don't." She repeated.

"But won't you miss me?"

"No. No I won't."

"That's hard, Evans."

"It's the truth, Potter."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading, leave me a review! :D<strong>


	16. Chapter Sixteen: After Christmas Break

**Chapter Sixteen: After Christmas Break**

The whistle blew, drowning out the dull roar of the families around the Hogwarts Express. The sudden noise caused many students to rush on board, throwing fleeting hugs at their parents and scurrying to find their friends. Sirius Black was leaning against the train waiting for his parents to be finished saying good-bye to his brother. He had behaved himself throughout the holiday and didn't see a reason to stop now, though, if he was being honest, he didn't know why he had started. He and Regulus had been getting on unusually well during the last two weeks too. So there were two reasons that he was waiting beside the train.

"And make sure to write to us." His mother cooed, enveloping Regulus in another hug. "I missed my baby boy so much."

"Alright, mum. We're going to miss the train." Regulus said, pulling away.

"Yes, alright." She looked over at Sirius. She had no reason to be upset with him at the moment and this was unusual for her. "Be good." She said, patting his shoulder.

"Thanks. I'll miss you too." Sirius said sarcastically. "See you next Holiday."

"Yes, we'll be here at the station." His father said curtly. "Don't make us wait."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Sirius muttered. "Bye, Dad. Bye, Mum."

"Good-bye, Sirius." His dad nodded.

"You want any help with your trunk?" Sirius asked. Regulus shook his head.

"You've got your own. I'm fine." He struggled with it for a minute but did eventually get it on the train. "I'll see you later I suppose." He said, looking over his shoulder at Sirius.

"You can sit with us if you want." Sirius said, nodding towards the Marauders' compartment.

"Nah, I have my own friends now." Regulus said, smiling cheekily. "Thanks."

Sirius shrugged, turned around and pushed open the door to the last compartment. Remus and James were sitting opposite each other and appeared to be immersed in an argument. "Hello my fellow Marauders."

"I don't even know what I said, James?"

"It's not what you said, it's who you said it to."

"What?"

"Oh, hello Sirius! We certainly missed you over the holiday. Life just isn't the same without you." Sirius said, doing a very poor imitation of either James or Remus.

"You were talking to Peter!" James said, ignoring Sirius.

"What?" Sirius shouted, dropping the handle of his trunk. It fell to the floor and landed on his foot. "Bloody ow!" He dropped to the floor and grabbed his foot. "Why were you talking to Peter?"

"I was just being friendly." Remus muttered. "Hello, Sirius. How was your holiday?" Sirius and James ignored this.

"Friendly? With Peter? Do you not remember what he did last year?" James asked.

"He was afraid, he still is." Remus countered. "You don't normally find out that one of your friends is a werewolf."

"You don't even know what he said about you!" James shouted. "What he said to me a few weeks ago, and to Sirius and me last year."

"He apologized. And it really doesn't matter. I was expecting you two to act the same way." They both flinched at that. "If I can forgive him, I think you two should be able to."

"Remus-"

"No. I mean it. Stop moaning me for talking to him, stop glaring at him in the corridors, stop ignoring him in the dorm. Just leave him alone." A heavy silence followed. This was not exactly how Sirius had thought the post-holiday reunion would go. He had spent the last two weeks holding his tongue and walking on egg shells and the first thing Remus did when he got on the train was to reprimand him. He was only rude to Peter for Remus' sake anyway. Peter had acted in a disgusting manner when he had been round Remus last year, he hadn't said anything to his face, but he had said some unforgivable things to James and Sirius when they talked to him about keeping Remus's secret.

"Alright, we'll be civil towards Peter." Sirius said finally. "Can we stop now? I wanted to plan a prank, talk about becoming animagi and plan late night expeditions."

"That sounds about right." James nodded. "I'm sorry, Remus."

"It's okay." Remus smiled. "I'm sorry too." He said, suddenly anxious. "I feel like I've been arguing with you two all year."

"Don't worry about it, Remus." Sirius laughed. "You're the only one we listen to."

"You have yet to listen to me." Remus said. "I told you not to look up how you can help me with…"

"Your furry little problem." James supplied.

"Umm, sure. I told you not to pick on Snape, I told you not to study animagi. You have done all of those things."

"We just agreed to be civil towards Peter." Sirius pointed out.

"One time out of four is better than most of the teachers' records." James grinned.

Remus shook his head and pulled out a piece of parchment that they had been working on. It was a half drawn sketch of the school, so far they didn't know where any of the secret passages were, but they wanted to get the layout of the school down first. This task had proven to be much more difficult than they had first anticipated. The castle had so many different levels and then there were the staircases. Not only was there 142 of them, but they also moved. They had no idea how they were going to draw those on the map, but this particular piece of parchment was just a starting point.

After a few hours working on the map, and a half dozen trips to the trolley later, Remus finally rolled up the parchment and put it back in his bag. "I don't even know if it's going to work. The stairs are going to be the real problem. There's just too many of them."

"We'll work it out." Sirius said with a yawn. "We're quite brilliant."

"Quite." James agreed. There was a sudden commotion outside their compartment door and James stood up to see what it was.

"Hurry! This way!" Somebody said, opening the door and nearly running into James, who had just reached out for the door handle. "Move back." The girl said, pushing James away from the door and ushering a handful of students in. It was Marlene McKinnon, the head girl.

"What's this?" Sirius said, moving closer to Remus as a few girls from their year squeezed their way in.

"Shut up. I'll explain when everybody is in." She snapped pulling the last girl into the compartment and slamming the door closed behind her. Lily, Coral, Alice, and Savanna had just joined them.

"What about Mary?" Coral asked, looking up at Marlene.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Emery took her and some of the other girls." The head girl said, trying to work her way towards a seat, but this particular compartment was only meant for four people and was quite full with nine occupants.

"What's going on Marlene?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know. An Auror showed up at the front of the train and told us to get to the back. I didn't ask many questions."

"Who was the Auror?" James asked.

"I don't know, someone rather frightening. He doesn't look like an Auror."

"Why are there Aurors on the train?" Remus asked.

"I don't know!" Marlene said. She was shaking slightly and looked lost. "I should probably go get the other kids out of the front." She said walking back towards the door.

"Well, that was odd." James laughed.

"Don't talk." Lily sighed, sitting down on an empty seat across from James.

"You just barged into our compartment, you can't tell me-"

"Please, don't talk." Lily said. "I am very angry with you."

"I don't know why." James said, a smile playing on his lips.

"Yes you do." She said through her clenched teeth.

"I was just wishing you a happy Christmas." James said innocently.

"That ruddy bird of yours woke me up at six o'clock in the morning!" Lily shouted. "And that isn't even the worst part. You kept sending more! Do you know how many times my mum asked… never mind. Just leave me alone."

"Did you like the-"

"Shut up." She said.

"Hey, love birds. I don't mean to interrupt but we're in the middle of a crisis and you two are fighting about owls."

"Coral, that is not what we are fighting about!" Lily sighed.

"It doesn't matter." Alice said. "She's right. There were Aurors on board who told us to run to the back of the train. What's going on?" The train suddenly jolted forward, causing half of the students to fall on the floor. Lily almost fell onto James, but caught herself at the last moment.

"Bloody hell!" Sirius huffed. "What was that?"

"Nothing good." Remus muttered, trying to look out the window. "I can't see the front of the train from here."

"That wasn't a normal stop." Lily said. "Something's happening."

"Don't worry, Lily." Savanna said. "There are Aurors here. Nothing is going to happen to us."

"Where is Mary?" Coral asked.

"Marlene probably put her in a different compartment." Remus said soothingly. "I'm sure she's fine."

"I hope so." Coral said, bringing her hand up to her face. She started biting her nails. "I'm getting claustrophobic." She said suddenly. "I really don't like this."

"It'll be alright." Savanna said, putting an arm around her friend's shoulders. "Can everybody try and sit down?" She asked. Alice moved to sit next to Lily, Remus moved back to his seat next to Lily, and Sirius and James were already seated.

"Here." James said, standing up so that Coral and Savanna could sit down. It was still cramped, but with James being the only one without a place to sit, it wasn't as stuffy.

They all waited for something to happen. The lights flickered once but didn't go off, it started to rain, Sirius ate five more pumpkin pasties, James ran his hand through his hair while glancing nervously at Lily but nothing _happened_. They were stuck in the compartment together without anyway of knowing what was going on at the other end of the train.

"Oooo!" Marlene opened the door to the compartment, stepped in and slammed it shut behind her. "I can't believe him." She said, pulling at her hair and huffing.

"What? What's happening?" Alice asked.

"Nothing." Marlene snapped. "Nothing at all. Xavier Henderson just wanted to put on a good show for the public. Show that he could step up and take charge." She pushed her hair back out of her eyes. "There was 'supposedly' a raider on board the train. I don't know why the train wasn't stopped but a few Aurors showed up with Henderson to check things out. He's not even qualified to do that." She muttered under her breath for a while, oblivious to the looks the second years were giving her. "You can all go back to your own compartments now." With that, she turned and stormed out. The girls quickly followed her without saying anything to the boys.

"Just a political power play?" James asked no one in particular. "I bet my dad will love that."

oOoOo

**Attempted Assassination of Minister Turnbull**

**By: Glenolden Thornton**

**Ministry workers are living in fear for just this morning Minister Turnbull was found unconscious in his office. The whole room was in shambles** **and looked like a scene from your darkest nightmares. The desk was overturned, portraits lay slashed and forgotten on the floor, blood splattered on the walls. The Aurors who are routinely stationed outside the Ministers door heard nothing and let nobody enter the room** **and that is the scene that Nigel found.**

**Nigel Seresin, the Ministers assistant, was the unfortunate one to find the Minister. He had walked into the office to convey** **certain files to the Minister and found the office as described earlier. **

"**I j-just went in to give him the file that Elizabeth P-potter had told me to give him. An-and I though he was dead. He has a nasty gash on his forehead and there was blood everywhere. There was nothing I could do. I am embarrassed to s-say I screamed." Nigel said in a shaky voice. "I d-don't know what we'll do as a community if he doesn't make it. We're already sh-shaken up enough."**

**And truer words could not be said. With the Minister in St. Mungo's, the whole Ministry is on stand-by. Albus Dumbledore was seen coming in and out of the Ministry throughout the day** **but has thus far refused to give any statement. There is much speculation that he will take over the position temporarily** **but there has been no confirmation. **

**Xavier Henderson, a leading candidate in the upcoming election, was not in the Ministry today and, therefore, had no comment to give. **

Daniel Baker slammed the paper down on the empty seat next to him. It was the morning Prophet and, as usual, it had nothing pleasant to report.

To him, it was fairly obvious that this Nigel character was involved in some way. There is no way that trained Aurors would just miss someone coming into the Minister's office. It had to have been an inside job.

And if they think that Henderson being absent was just a coincidence, then his brother Alec was right when he said that the raiders weren't going to have a hard time taking over the wizarding world.

He hadn't thought about Alec in a while. He connected Alec to what happened to Dylan and he tried not to think about that. He would get lightheaded and feel sick. He was surprised that he had gone home for Christmas. It had been hard on him, being home without having Daniel around, but he had to check on Carlee. She hadn't been writing to him as often as he wished and what she did write wasn't what he wanted to know.

So of course, when they did talk, they argued.

"I just want to make sure that you and Chris are safe." Daniel said, running a hand through his hair. "Why is that so hard for you to believe?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because last year you all but joined the 'raiders'. Did you already have your mask?" Carlee asked glaring at him, her blue eyes showing little mercy. Her eyes were the only thing that looked the same. They last time he had seen her, she had looked broken, but she was still healthy looking. _It_ had just happened and she had yet to lose her appetite or will to move much. She had been in shock. Now, five months after it had happened, she looked frail and sallow. "I am looking out for Chris _and_ myself. I don't need you to check up on me!"

"You are just a kid! You don't nee- no, you _shouldn't_ be looking out for yourself."

"Well, my dad is dead." Carlee spat. Then she froze. It was the first time she had said it out loud. The first time she had actually forced herself to voice the truth. Daniel quickly lost all the fight in him and sank down against her bedroom wall. She was looking anywhere but him and trying her hardest not to cry.

"Mine too." He said softly. "I made a lot of mistakes last year and maybe you shouldn't forgive me." He looked up at her. "But dad's death changed both of us."

"I didn't change!" She said quickly, wiping her eyes and looking defiant.

"Carlee, you've spent the last five months hiding here. You wouldn't have hidden before."

"I'm not hiding." Carlee sighed, dropping down on the floor next to him. "I just can't leave Chris here alone, and I can't run into _her_."

"I know, but I don't want either of you two left here. You'd be safer at school."

"Please don't."

"No, listen. If you _and_ Chris came to school, then I wouldn't have to worry about you and in the summer, I would be here with you."

"Chris isn't going to go to Hogwarts."

"If you tell him to, he will."

"I am not going to manipulate our brother."

"It wouldn't be bad manipulation." He said with a small grin.

"He wouldn't be comfortable at Hogwarts."

"That other kid is." Daniel said, causing Carlee to snap her head around at him in shock.

"You know that Remus is a werewolf?"

"No, there's one in Slytherin." Daniel said sarcastically. Carlee shoved him and laughed.

"You aren't going to joint the raiders, are you?" She asked quietly. He could tell that she had wanted to ask him this since he had come home two days ago.

"No, Carlee. I am not joining the raiders." He took her hand and squeezed it. "I need you to stop sulking. Go outside, eat a decent amount of food, comb your hair every once in a while." She pushed him but smiled. "You look ill."

"I know." She sighed.

"If your friends saw you like this…" He trailed off, shaking his head.

"They would murder me." She laughed.

"I don't think it would be you that they went after." Daniel said.

"I miss them." She said. "All of them. Even Orian and Stephen, and I don't even like them." Daniel laughed.

"Think about my offer."

"I… will." She sighed. "I will."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And there is some Carlee. I didn't know that she was like that until I started writing this scene. I know she seems kind of pathetic at the moment, but it'll all make sense if I ever end up explaining things. Just kidding, I will. :D<strong>

**Anyway, I would love to hear from you. Drop me a review!**


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Wishing You Well

**AN: Hey everybody. This is late, I know. But I was really swamped this week with AP tests and stuff. I feel like I've used that excuse before. Any who, I hope you like this chapter. I like how it turned out. :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter Seventeen: Wishing You Well<strong>

In the rush to get off the train, Mary found herself separated from her friends for the second time that day. This was odd for a few different reasons. Firstly, she had been right behind them until they stepped off the Hogsmeade platform and then they seemed to just disappear. Secondly, she didn't know how she could lose four people. And thirdly, this meant that she would have to ride in a carriage with people she didn't know.

She pulled her cloak tightly around her and shoved her mitten covered hands under her arms. It was cold out. Really cold. But what else could be expected on a January day at Hogwarts.

The mass of students in front of her was starting to thin now and Mary was desperately scanning the crowd for a mass of red hair which she thought would be the easiest thing to spot out of all her friends' different attributes. The crowd moved forward and she was forced to conclude that her friends had already gone up to the castle.

"Probably just as well." She thought. "There are only four to a carriage anyway."

She was moving closer and closer to the carriages and started to wonder who she would be riding up to the castle with. She didn't really know many people other than the Gryffindors and Eustace Green, a rather attractive Hufflepuff. She also knew Benjy Fenwick a bit since she sat next to him in History of Magic. But they never talked so she didn't know whether or not he counted.

As she promised herself that she was going to become a bit more social this term, she stepped into an empty carriage and took a seat. Then she patiently waited for the arrival of the three students that would be joining her. She didn't have to wait very long, seeing as how all the students were rather eager to get back to the castle and out of the cold, but when they did get in the carriage she silently prayed for the seat to swallow her whole.

They were three Slytherins. She didn't know them personally but she did know their names. She knew almost everybody's names. The three people who had just joined her were Chelsea Keenin, Severus Snape and Evan Rosier. Chelsea was laughing obnoxiously and Severus looked as though he was entirely focused on not strangling her. Evan didn't seem to notice anything and slammed the door behind him. Mary suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

"I can hardly believe that you're _thirteen_." Chelsea gushed, flipping her hair over her shoulder and causing Mary to mentally cringe. Why would anybody in their right mind flirt with Evan or, especially, Severus? "It's so great. You're one the oldest in our year."

"I could probably name five people in our year that are older than him off the top of my head." Evan sighed. "Why are you even here?"

"I wasn't going to walk to the castle." She snapped at him, then turned back to Severus and grinned.

"I _meant,_ why are you riding with us?" Chelsea ignored him. Then, quite abruptly, she turned and looked at Mary.

"Who are you?" She spat out. Mary froze. All eyes were now on her. She was a lowly little Gryffindor, stuck in a compartment with three Slytherins. She may not have much of a social life but she wasn't daft. She knew that Slytherins and Gryffindors despised each other with a passion. But because Mary was not completely daft, she also knew that Severus Snape was friends, for reasons she could not comprehend, with Lily. And she planned to use that to her advantage.

"Mary MacDonald. I'm friends with Lily Evans." She said, nodding at Chelsea who snorted.

"Is that supposed to mean something?" She asked, looking at Evan and Severus in confusion.

"Well- I-"

"If I were you," Evan said leaning closer to Mary. "I wouldn't go spreading the fact that you're friends with a Mudblood around." Mary's eyes widened in shock. Did he just say what she thought he had said? Did he just call Lily a Mudblood?

"Don't say that word." Mary heard herself say, before she could stop herself from rambling. She shouldn't be arguing with them. If she had just kept her mouth shut, there wouldn't have been any reason for Evan to look over at her with an amused look on his face.

"Mudblood, you mean?" Mary nodded. She could hear Chelsea giggling from the seat next to her, but it was the look of complete apathy on Severus's face that had her worried. "Why?"

"It's not something you should say." Mary said simply. "It's offensive and rude."

"Are you a Mudblood?" Chelsea asked, still giggling.

"Blood status doesn't matter." She said, dodging the question. She still didn't know why she was fighting this. She wasn't Muggle-born, if she had told them that then she might have been able to sit through the rest of this ride in silence.

"That's what you think." Severus said, speaking up for the first time. This time, Evan laughed.

"Not for much longer though, right?" He elbowed Severus in the side. "Not for much longer."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Mary asked, silently cursing herself into obliviation. Why couldn't she just stop talking?

"Take it as you will." Evan laughed. "But, next time, it won't be a false alarm."

"Evan!" Severus snapped, glaring at him. "Stop talking."

"Oh, who is she going to tell?" He said, brushing off the warning. "Her Mudblood friend." There was about seven seconds of silence following that statement during which Mary looked at Severus and waited for him to say something to Evan. That's when she felt forced to speak again.

"Severus and Lily are friends. I think he would appreciate it, just as much as I would, if you would stop referring to her as a Mudblood." That got Chelsea to stop giggling.

"Severus and Lily are friends?" Evan said, raising his eyebrows skeptically. "Is that true?" He turned to Severus who was too busy glaring at Mary to notice. "Snape?"

"I don't associate with Mudbloods." He whispered, still glaring at Mary. It was as if he was silently daring her to tell Lily what he was saying. "And Lily _is_ a Mudblood." Mary looked down at her mittens, wishing once again for the seat to swallow her whole. This was all very bad.

oOoOo

The Great Hall was loud and boisterous as usual. Though there was a bit more meaning behind all the noise than normal. Everybody was checking on everybody in their houses, making sure that they were all still there and uninjured. Even though the train hadn't actually been attacked, the students were still worried. After Adin Mayer had died last year over Christmas break, most of them had felt as though checking on their housemates was necessary.

James was seated at the front of the Gryffindor table, with Sirius on his right and Remus seated opposite to them. They had already checked with the rest of the second year boys and had seen most of the girls either on the train or at the Hogsmeade station. The Smith brothers had stopped by their compartment after the girls had left and so had most of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

The morning's Prophet was laid out in front of him and he was staring up at the oddly vacant staff table. There were only a few teachers present and no sign of the others. This was slightly worrying to James but he didn't notice anyone panicking to find someone, so he concluded that for whatever the reason, it couldn't be too bad.

And the front page of the Prophet had caught his attention anyhow. Not only had the article mentioned his mother, who had yet to write to him, but it had also mentioned Nigel, the odd bloke that he had met before the Christmas holiday. The way he saw it, something was off about the whole story.

For one thing, his mother never allocated tasks to anyone. If she had a file that she needed the Minister to have, she would have given it to him herself, not sought out the Minister's assistant to give it to him for her.

And then there was just Nigel's presence in the situation. He had been the only one allowed into the room by the Aurors, yet he hadn't done anything. He had walked in, found the place in shambles, screamed and left. That didn't seem right to James.

And Henderson's absence from the Ministry that morning was just too much of a coincidence. Henderson had been practically living at the ministry for the last six months, working up a reputation so he could win the upcoming election. The one day that something goes wrong, he just happened to be elsewhere?

None of it seemed right. And his mother hadn't written to him yet.

James had been in a world of his own for so long that he hadn't noticed the arrival of the teachers, Dumbledore's speech or the sudden appearance of all the food.

"Are you alright, mate?" Sirius asked, his mouth only half filled with food. "You can't tell me that you aren't hungry. We've been stuck on that ruddy train all day!"

"I was just thinking." James said, turning his attention away from the paper and to the large mound of chicken legs in front of him.

"Where did you get that paper?" Remus asked.

"I told you." James sighed. "I found it in the corridor outside our compartment."

"On the train?" Sirius asked.

"Obviously." James said, shaking his head.

"What does it say?" Remus asked. A much more intelligent question in James' opinion.

"Someone tried to kill the Minister." James said. Remus and Sirius both looked at him in complete shock. "Nigel, Seresin's son, found him unconscious in his office."

"What?" Sirius asked. "Wait, somebody tried to kill the minister? Today? Why haven't we heard about this yet?"

"It's Sunday. The morning edition doesn't come until eleven, and we were all getting on the train at that point." Remus answered, taking the paper from in front of James and reading the story.

"But still, you think news like that would have spread like wild-fire." Sirius said, looking baffled. "Who did it?"

"They don't know." James said. "But the whole thing just sounds weird to me."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

"Read it." Remus said, thrusting the paper into Sirius's hands. Sirius sighed, but read it anyway. "It doesn't seem too odd. I mean, aside from someone trying to kill the Minister."

"Right." James said quietly.

"Hey, that's your mum!" Sirius exclaimed as he reached the middle of the article.

"I'm fairly certain she's alright, James." Remus said softly.

"She was there this morning." James said. "She had to go in early, so dad got me on the train himself." He looked up at Remus. It was all finally dawning on him. Why he desperately wanted his mum to write, why he felt so uneasy. "She could have got hurt."

"It would have said in the article if she did." Remus said, trying to sound extra confident for James' sake. "At the very least, somebody would have told you if something had happened."

"Yeah, you're probably right." James sighed. "I just get nervous."

"So do you reckon that Seresin being absent is just a coincidence?" Sirius asked, folding the paper and putting it down. James looked over at him, confusion dominating his features. He then whipped his head around to look at the staff table and, sure enough, Seresin was missing.

"That can't be an accident." Remus said, not at all as shocked by this news as James was. "It's just too much, isn't it?"

"Why isn't Seresin here?" James asked, looking between Remus and Sirius.

"Weren't you listening to Dumbledore?" Remus asked.

"No."

"Well, Dumbledore said that Seresin has some family business to take care of and would be back next week." Remus told him. "There's no defense class until then."

"Even I listened to that, mate." Sirius laughed.

oOoOo

Later that evening, in the Gryffindor common room, the Marauders were talking animatedly over a scrap of parchment. From her seat on the other side of the room, Lily could not see what was on the parchment but knew that it had to be something bad. It just had to be. They were the _Marauders_ after all.

Who wants to be called that anyway?

Lily huffed and turned away from them. She was trying to focus on her Charms essay. Flitwick had assigned it before break and Lily had to finish proof-reading it before class tomorrow.

But how was she supposed to concentrate with those loons practically shouting on the other side of the room? All this noise was also reminding Lily that she still needed to yell at James properly for the fiasco he had caused at her house on Christmas.

_Tap Tap Tap_

Lily groaned and rolled over onto her stomach. She had no clue what that noise was but she was still half asleep so it barely registered in her mind anyway.

_Tap Tap Tap_

There it was again. What was it? It was probably Tuney, who would think that it was funny to wake Lily up at such an early hour. She would find pleasure in doing that, Lily was certain of it.

_Tap Tap_

But wait, Tuney hated getting up early even more than Lily did. Lily was starting to reconsider the Tuney explanation.

_Tap Tap Tap Tap_

It was louder this time. If it didn't stop soon, it was going to wake up the whole house. Lily threw her pillow over her head and tried to ignore it. It was Christmas morning, was it not? Why was there a tapping noise waking her up on Christmas morning? Shouldn't she wake up to the smell of mince pies and the promise of hot chocolate?

_Tap Tap_

"Urgh!" Lily huffed, removing her pillow from her head and throwing her warm blankets aside. Once she was sitting up, she looked around her. She was going to find whatever was making that noise and destroy it. Then she was going to go back to sleep.

Her room didn't have anything in it that made tapping noises though. There was her bookshelf that was next to her door filled with not only books but odd trinkets that she had acquired on family holidays. A desk next to the book shelf, littered with all sorts of newspapers and parchment. Her dresser, which was over flowing with clothes both clean and not so clean. But nothing was making any noise.

She was about to give up and go back to sleep when she heard it again.

_Tap Tap Tap_

It sounded a bit like someone was tapping on her window. But that wasn't possible. Lily's room was on the first floor. Nobody could reach her window from the ground. But that is what it sounded like.

So Lily pushed herself off her bed and walked over to one of the two windows in her room. She threw back the curtains and jumped in surprise. There was an owl. A rather agitated owl. Lily gathered her wits and opened the window to let it in. It flew past her and landed on her bed. Lily walked over to it, quite unsure of whose it was. It was a small tawny owl with large yellow eyes. It didn't look like one of Carlee's owls, and she had just received a letter from Carlee anyway. She didn't know what Coral's owl looked like, but it definitely wasn't Mary's or Savanna's.

She walked over to her bed and reached out to the owl to untie the letter from its talons. It pecked her finger.

"Ow!" She hissed. Pulling her hand to her chest. "I didn't know you were out there, I'm sorry." She tried again, more cautiously this time, and was able to pull her hand away before the bird bit her. "I would give you a treat, but I don't have an owl, therefore no treats." The owl hooted at her and flew to the other side of her room. "Listen you ruddy bird, it is really early in the morning, you just woke me up, and its Christmas. I'm sorry that I didn't open the window straightaway, but I don't have anything to give you. And now I am talking to a bird." It hooted again, and then stuck out its leg.

Lily took it, after only a brief moment of hesitation. Her name was written in elegant, unfamiliar script. "Whose bird are you?" She asked the owl, who only hooted softly in response. Lily opened the letter and read:

_My Dearest Lily,_

_I am sending Karl to you on this fine December morning to wish you a wonderfully happy Christmas. I only wish that I could be with you in person to bestow this wish properly. Let us imagine, if you will, that I am with you at the moment. I would take your hand in mine, and look you in your wonderfully_ _beautiful, green eyes and tell you that I want you to have the best Christmas that anybody has ever had. _

_Wishing you well,_

_James Potter _

Further owl-posts had arrived throughout the day with letters, progressing in both length and oddness. They had also transformed from whatever it was he had sent her at first, to full-blown love letters. After she had sent Karl back with an angry note telling him to leave her alone, he had sent her a bouquet of lilies and another letter. She told herself that she really wouldn't have minded too much if she hadn't been sitting in the kitchen with her parents and Tuney when Karl came up to the window and started tapping again. Lily didn't hesitate to open the window that time for fear of getting her fingers pecked again. She tried to hide the letter but there was no hiding the twelve lilies that the bird dropped all over the mince pies.

Then, in her haste to clear the dratted flowers from the table, she had dropped the letter and her mum had picked it up. This time James hadn't signed the letter, 'Wishing you well.' He had signed it, 'With all the love in my heart.' Her mum had thought it was absolutely adorable and wouldn't even listen to Lily as she tried to explain that, in no way at all, was James Potter adorable. He was an annoying little berk.

By the end of the night, Lily's mum had been trying to goad Lily into writing to James, or letting her write to James. Lily had tried again to explain that she had written back, telling James Potter that she was going to murder him sometime in the near future, but her mum wasn't really listening to her just then because, you guessed it, another bloody letter had just arrived. This one was signed, 'Your future husband.' That had sent her mum a bit over the edge.

And there he was, laughing it up with his mates on the other side of the common room, completely unconscious of the fact that Lily was trying to finish her Charms' essay. He was being loud and obnoxious and acting as though Lily's mother wasn't sitting at home with a box full of wedding magazines next to her.

Lily absolutely detested James Potter.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And bam. That is how you end a chapter. Maybe, I don't know. I thought it was pretty niffty. Tell me what you think. You know, in the forms of a review. Until next time.<strong>

**~Craz**


	18. Chapter Eighteen:Seeing Red and Biscuits

**AN: Here we are. It is horribly late, and for that I am sorry. I hope you like this chapter though. I liked writing the end of it. :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Eighteen: Seeing Red and Biscuits <strong>

Instead of enjoying their free period with the rest of their DADA class, James and Sirius were cooped up in the library of all places, surrounded by mounds of books and scraps of parchment. The carefree attitude that the boys had come into the library with had quickly vanished and turned into one of frustration. There were so many books to look through, so many directions to read, so many things that could go wrong, and the boys were beginning to feel overwhelmed.

Tonight was the first full moon of the term and that seemed to re-light the fire in both Sirius and James. They were both dreading the night, where neither of them would sleep much. They would both lie awake, listening to the howls of pain that Remus would let rip through the night air.

"This is going to be a tad difficult, wouldn't you say?" Sirius asked, letting a rather thick book fall from his hands, onto the table. Madam Pince sent him a cold glare, but he didn't notice and if he did notice, he didn't care.

"It'll be worth it." Was all James said in reply. He was engrossed in an even larger book than the one Sirius had just dropped. "Anything to help Remus, right?"

"Yeah." Sirius said thoughtfully. He picked up his quill off the table and began to twirl it around in his fingers. He glanced around the room, looking out one of the windows and then at an empty table beside them and finally at James. His brow was crinkled in concentration and his index finger was skimming lightly along the page, his eyes following its movements. Sirius sighed. This seemed so easy for him. "James, I'm not great at Transfigurations." That wasn't really what he wanted to say, but it was something.

James looked up over the top of his book. "That's the hundredth time you've said that. I told you, it'll all work out. I'll help you."

"You're twelve."

"That's doesn't mean that I am not a genius." He grinned smugly.

"This is just as new to you as it is to me." Clearly, he didn't appreciate the joke.

"Stop worrying about it, alright." James sighed. "It's going to work." Sirius nodded. He really didn't doubt it. He hadn't let himself think about what would happen if it didn't work. But he needed something to argue about and his transfiguration skills were easier target than the real problem.

"How do you know?" Sirius pushed, leaning over the table. "How do you know that we aren't just doing this all for nothing?" This time, James put the book down on the table.

"What's wrong?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Sirius inquisitively. "You were so excited about this before the holidays, why the sudden change of heart?"

"I didn't change my mind!" Sirius said, instantly defensive. "I still want to help Remus."

"I never said that you didn't!" James said, throwing his hands up in mock surrender.

"Good." Sirius glared at James, who looked completely confused.

"Sirius?"

"What?"

"What's going on, why are you acting like this?"

"Like what?"

"Like I'm accusing you of something."

"You are!"

"What? I'm not accusing you of anything!" James sputtered.

"Then what do you call it?" Sirius huffed.

"I just want to know what is going on inside your head!" James laughed, trying to turn the whole thing into a joke for the second time.

"Oh bugger off." Sirius said, picking up the massive animagi book and stomping off towards the transfiguration's section of the library. James blinked a few times in shock.

Sirius didn't stop to make sure he put the book back on the right shelf, or that it even stayed on the shelf that he had blindly thrown it on. He didn't care that he had left his bag and school books back at the table with James. He just wanted to get out of the library. He was starting to feel trapped and he needed to get out.

When he first stepped into the hall, he thought that he was headed out to the courtyard. That was where he wanted to go, but his feet seemed to have a mind of their own and started taking him towards the Owlery.

oOoOo

Mary was fidgeting as she sat next to Lily. They were working on their History of Magic essay that Professor Binns set earlier that morning. She was so uncomfortable, in fact, that she had forgotten to protest when Lily suggested that they use their free hour to get their homework done in the library.

Lily hadn't seemed to notice Mary's restless behavior though.

Lily hadn't really noticed much of anything the whole day actually. She _had,_ however, broken three quills while trying to write her notes in Charms. Mary didn't really know why Lily was glaring at the back of James' head as though she was hoping that if she stared long enough, it would spontaneously burst into flames. Though she did know that she didn't want that kind of anger directed at her. She was just so confused. What was she supposed to do about the whole carriage incident?

"He makes me so angry." Lily muttered, wringing her hands together.

"What did he do?" Savanna asked, with a small laugh. "I thought that you would eventually cave in and tell us on your own but you've just been glaring at him since yesterday." Lily didn't answer right away, she took a deep breath and snapped her gaze away from James' head and looked at Savanna.

"He sent me letters on Christmas day." She said quietly. Savanna looked at Lily, waiting for her to go on, but when it became clear that Lily was finished talking, Savanna started laughing.

"Is that what this is all about?" She asked, holding her stomach and trying to keep her laughter quiet. "He sent you letters?"

"My mum intercepted more than half of them." Lily seethed. "They were… awful." Savanna didn't stop laughing at this, if anything she laughed more.

"What did they say?" Mary asked, trying to appease Lily.

"Awful things." Lily muttered, now glaring at Savanna who continued to laugh. "He signed one, 'your future _husband._'" Lily spit out the last word as though it were utterly disgusting. Savanna almost fell out of her chair at this. Madam Pince shot them a look from across the Library and Savanna clamped her hand over her mouth, stifling the noise but still quaking with mirth. "It's not funny!" She snapped. "It's really not!" She buried her face in her hands as her cheeks began to turn pink.

"It's a little funny, Lily." Savanna said.

"How is it funny?"

"He's only teasing you."

"Yes, why is that funny?"

"Because you're letting it get to you."

"I am not!"

"What do you call it?" Savanna asked with her hands on her hips.

"I-Well, I-"

"Exactly." Then with an evil grin, she added, "Maybe you fancy somebody."

"What!" Lily all but shouted.

"You heard what I said, Lily. I think that you like-"

"Leave it, Savanna." Mary sighed, messaging her temples with her index fingers. Lily and Savanna paused and locked their eyes on her, Lily out of gratitude, and Savanna out of annoyance.

"Oh please." She said rolling her eyes. "You know it's true." When Mary didn't immediately quip back, Savanna's face softened. "Why have you been so quiet lately?"

"You have been awfully quiet." Lily agreed, giving her friend a concerned look. "Did something happen during the holidays?" As much as Lily was worried, she couldn't help but be relieved that they had stopped talking about James' letters.

"No!" Mary said instantly. "No, of course not." She looked between her friends. She wanted to tell Lily what had happened in the carriage, but how was she supposed to bring up something like that? 'Hey Lily, you know your friend Severus? Well I think he's a total berk because he called you a mudblood.' Some how she didn't think that would go over too well with Lily, even if she used slightly less jarring words. "It's nothing." She sighed, quite annoyed with herself for not saying anything.

"Oh don't give us that rubbish." Lily said, swatting away her words.

"I- Oh alright." Mary sighed. She didn't have a clue what she was going to say, but she knew that she had to say something. And she wasn't good at coming up with lies on the spot, so she settled for a partial truth. "Sunday, I had to ride in a carriage with some Slytherins." Lily and Savanna exchanged looks. Whatever they had been expecting her to say didn't include Slytherins. "Chelsea Keenin, Evan Rosier and Severus." She said the last name slowly, making sure that she didn't look at Lily.

"Chelsea? That blonde girl who sits behind us in potions?" Savanna asked.

"No, that's Danielle. Chelsea is the one next to her." Lily said. "What did she do?" Mary flinched. Chelsea had actually played a very little role in the evening.

"She didn't really do anything, other than act a bit rudely. No, that wasn't the problem." She took a deep breath and tried to set the story in her head. "It was Severus." She said carefully.

oOoOo

The Owlery was cold and empty. He didn't know why he had decided to stay up there. It wasn't exactly pleasant. With the stench of owl droppings and dead animals, it was actually making his head hurt. But there was nobody else up there.

He sat on the window ledge and watched an unlucky class of third years follow Professor Kettleburn around the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He didn't know why everybody complained about Care of Magical Creatures. It sounded like an amusing class to him. Getting to mess around with dangerous animals and play in the forest. Who wouldn't want to take that class?

Lessons were almost over and then he would have to go down and visit Remus in the hospital wing with James. He was trying not to think about that. He didn't know if he was even going to go down to see Remus. He didn't know if he could see Remus right now. He certainly didn't want to. He had to work something out before he did.

It seemed like an easy enough decision last year when he befriended James and Remus and was sorted into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin. Lately though, he wasn't so sure.

His family had always been a problem. Since he started going to Hogwarts, they had been an even bigger problem.

His mother only approved of one of his friends, and that was only because she was friends with Carlee's mother and thought Carlee was a proper little pure blood like she was supposed to be. She was wrong of course, but she didn't know that.

Sirius hadn't told her that he was friends with James. He wasn't sure that she wouldn't lock him in his room and never let him go back to Hogwarts if she found out that he was friends with one of the biggest blood traitors in the wizarding world. There was a stigma that went with the Potters' name among the elite pure bloods that the Blacks usually surrounded themselves with.

He couldn't tell her about Remus either. Not because he was a werewolf, though he certainly would never tell her that, but because of his mother. Remus was a half-blood, with a muggle parent . That was worse than being a half-blood with a muggle born parent. His mother would be absolutely disgusted that Remus's father, a pure blood, had sunk to that level. That he had willingly chose to marry a muggle when he had so many other options. It was a crime punishable by an Azkaban sentence in her eyes.

If Sirius were to continue to become animagi with James for Remus's sake, he would be turning his back on his family for good. There would be no turning back, he would be effectively shutting them out. He would be choosing his friends over his blood, and he didn't know if he could do that.

Living with his family wasn't easy, they had never made it easy, but they were still his family and Sirius felt like that was supposed to mean something. He felt like this decision was supposed to be an easy one. At the same time he felt like he shouldn't have to choose.

He didn't think that he could tell James and Remus if he chose to back out. He didn't want to see the looks on their faces, he didn't think that he could make them understand what he was going through. They were like his brothers, brothers that he didn't have to compete with for his mother's affection.

Just then, as if to add salt to the wound, Regulus came sauntering into the Owlery. He had a letter in his left hand and was munching on a biscuit. He didn't notice Sirius until he cleared his throat. This caused Regulus to jump and drop his treat.

"Oh. Hello." Regulus said, finding only his brother. "I didn't see you there."

"Obviously." Sirius said lazily. He watched Regulus's face fall as he realized that his biscuit had fallen in a pile of droppings and laughed at him. "I'm sure there will be some more at dinner. Why did you still have one any way. Keep a stash in your pockets?"

Regulus looked confused for a moment. "Oh! That wasn't from this afternoon." Regulus said, pulling a small tin from his pocket. "Mum sent them to me." He must have noticed the change in Sirius's demeanor because he backtracked quickly. "Well, I mean I sent her a note asking for more… umm…socks. Yes, more socks and she sent these along with them. The socks I mean. She sent the biscuits with the socks. She said I should share with you." He held out the tin, trying to prove that what he was saying was true. "I was going to. Even if I didn't run into you here." That was the only thing that Regulus said that Sirius knew was true. He didn't doubt that his brother had every intention of sharing with him, he always shared with him.

"You don't have to lie to me." Sirius said with a sigh. He felt foolish. "I packed with you, I know you didn't send home for socks." Regulus pulled the tin back and pushed it into his pocket again. He looked uncomfortable. "Don't worry about it Reg, mum likes you. It's nothing new." They whole reason he had been up here was completely mute. Even if he did want to try and fix things at home, it was a little to late now.

"But during the hol-"

"It doesn't matter." Sirius said quietly. It wasn't true. It did matter. It mattered too much. "It's alright."

"I don't ask her to do it you know. I don't ask her to send me stuff." He said. Sirius smiled at him, though they both knew that it wasn't a real smile.

"You don't have too. I've messed up so much that you seem bloody perfect."

"You haven't done anything." Regulus said. He hated it when Sirius started acting like this. He hated it when he talked badly about their parents, but it was worse when he started blaming himself for everything. "You really haven't. Mum just doesn't understand. You're different."

Sirius snorted. "That's one way to put it."

"It's not a bad thing." Regulus said firmly. Sirius looked down at the floor.

"Hey, Kevin?" He called out to his bird. The large black owl swooped down from where he had been perching and landed next to Sirius on the windowsill. "You can use him if you want." Regulus nodded.

"Thanks." He walked over to the bird and tied his letter carefully to the owl's leg. "Take it home." Regulus said, thinking the bird would understand what that meant. Sirius quickly sat up and cried out to stop the owl from leaving.

"The Black manor." He corrected quickly. Kevin hooted and took off.

"That is home, Sirius." Regulus said. "That is _our_ home."

"It's your home." Sirius said calmly.

"Stop talking like that! You live there too!"

"Much to mum's dismay." Sirius sighed. "Nobody wants me there, Reg. You know it, just as well as I do."

"_I_ want you there you pillock!" Regulus shouted. "You're my brother and I want you there. I want you to like being home, I want you and mum to get along, I don't want Father to look at you the way he does, I don't like being the favorite by default." His face was growing red and he was getting louder as he went. "I liked it better when we were younger and it was all just for fun! It was a contest to see who Father would let go to work with him, or who Grandmother would read to! It was a fair contest. You don't even try anymore. They used to like both of us!"

"Well they don't anymore!" Sirius shouted, standing up and taking a step towards Regulus. "They like you now. I'm sorry that you have it so hard! It must be bloody awful to get everything you ask for, to never get punished for stupid things."

"We used to be friends." He whispered. "I had to beg you to write me letters last year and they were still clipped and distant. You only let me sit with you on the train because your friends said it was alright, you wanted me to leave." Sirius was about to argue when Regulus's eyes suddenly snapped back up to his and were full of anger again. "You wouldn't have done that before."

"Before what?" Sirius yelled back at him.

"Just before." Regulus shrugged. "Before everything changed."

"I didn't ask for everything to change." Sirius snapped. "I didn't ask for mum to hate me-"

"She _doesn't_ hate you!"

"Why else would she-" Sirius forced himself to stop talking, shoving his knuckled into his mouth and turning away from his brother.

"She only sent me the letter to tell me that Aunt Lucretia was getting married. You wouldn't care anyway." Sirius didn't like the idea of anybody deciding for him what he cared about, but he was done fighting with Regulus.

"This isn't about the letter." Sirius sighed. "It doesn't matter, okay? I'm not upset with you. I'm upset with myself, I'm upset with mum but I'm not upset with you." He looked at Regulus. "If you keep yelling at me, I might change my mind. It really doesn't matter."

Suddenly Sirius was on the ground and Regulus was on top of him, swinging his fist around and trying to punch him. "Stop!" He shouted, punctuating the word with a biff to the head. "Acting." Another punch, this time in the gut. "Like. You. Don't. Care!" Each word was followed by some sort of blow. Sirius pushed him off of him and scrambled to his feet. Regulus also stood up, but lunged at Sirius the moment he was upright. Sirius didn't need much motivation to fight back. Soon they were both punching and kicking at each other.

It lasted for no more then five minutes before they heard a meow. It caused them to jump apart from each other and frantically search the room, their eyes both ending up on the same figure in the doorway.

"Fighting in the Owlery?" Filch asked, stroking his cat slowly as he purred out the words. "That's worth at least a week of detention." His lips curled into a smile and he turned round and started walking down the stairs. "Follow me." He called over his shoulder.

Sirius sighed and followed Filch. Regulus aimed one last kick at Sirius's leg and then marched out ahead of him.

oOoOo

"What about Severus?" Lily asked, looking at Mary cautiously. She knew that her friends didn't really understand why she was friends with Sev. They didn't understand that she actually liked him and wasn't hanging around with him out of pity or anything. Her and Sev were actually friends.

One look at Mary's face, however, and Lily could tell that whatever had happened had really upset her. She wasn't taking this lightly and she was afraid to tell Lily. This made Lily want to bite her tongue. She wanted to lash out and defend Sev before Mary said anything else but she but she waited for an explanation first.

"Lily, I don't even know if I should tell you this." She whispered. "He certainly didn't want me to." She took a shaky breath and looked down at her hands. "But I think you should know."

"Just tell me, Mary!" Lily sighed. He stomach was beginning to tighten. She had no idea what Mary was about to say but she suddenly felt the urge to run out the nearest door. She didn't want to hear it. She wanted to cover her ears and pretend that Mary wasn't looking at her like she was about to announce that Lily's pet had died. The sympathy and pity was too much. "What happened?"

"Well, he called you a…" Mary looked up at the ceiling now. "I don't think I should tell you." She said suddenly. "I really don't."

"What did he call me, Mary?" Lily said. The anger she had been holding back was being directed at a new target now.

"He called you a mudblood." She whispered. "But it was only because Evan Rosier was there! I think anyway. Evan was giving him trouble for something I said and-" But Lily didn't hear the rest of her explanation. She froze. For a moment, nothing in her world moved, everything just stopped. She didn't know what she was supposed to feel right now. She supposed she should probably feel hurt, but she didn't. Not quite. She was, however, starting to see red.

"He called me a _what_?" Lily said.

"Lily?" Mary looked at her for the first time since bringing it up. "I'm really sorry Lily. I shouldn't have told you."

"Shouldn't have told me?" Lily repeated. "You _should_ have told me as soon as it happened."

"I suppose. I just didn't want to upset you, and you were already angry with James, I just didn't want to make things worse."

"You still should have told me." Lily said calmly.

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry Lily."

"Hello, ladies." A new voice said casually. "You haven't seen Sirius, have you?" James leaned over their table and smiled brightly at Lily.

"No." Mary and Savanna both said too quickly. "You should look somewhere else." Savanna added. James looked at the two of them as though they had sprouted a third arm. "He's definitely not here."

"Alright. I'm not his mum though. I was just curious. He's acting oddly today." He slid into the chair next to Lily, causing Mary and Savanna to groan. "You haven't murdered me yet." James said, grinning at Lily. "Does that mean you decided that you liked my Christmas letters?"

And that's when Lily snapped.

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews are very much appreciated. 3<strong>


	19. Chapter Nineteen: MultiColored Hair

**AN: Hey guys... I am sorry that it's not that long of a chapter, and I am sorry that it took so long to get it up. I am just really busy lately and this story has been put on the back burner. I only have 16 days left of high school and I have a bunch of college stuff I need to finish up sooooo... yeah. I will keep updating but it will be more sporadic instead of twice a week. Sorry. :(**

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><p><strong>Chapter Nineteen: Multi-Colored Hair<strong>

"Lily Evans!"

She stopped seeing red the minute she heard Professor McGonagall's voice call her name. She felt the blood drain away from her face as she looked around at what she had just done. The chair that she had jumped up from lay on its side, her bag had fallen off the back and now her books, quills and parchment lay scattered on the ground. The bottle of ink that she had been using to write her essay had spilled all over the table and splashed on her left hand.

And then there was James. He was slumped against a bookshelf, his head lolled to one side and his glasses on the floor at his side. His hair was still changing colors slowly; fading from red to purple, purple to blue. Books of all sizes lay scattered around his unconscious form and she could just make out the purple bump forming near his hairline.

Marlene McKinnon, the head girl, and Cleo Downing were still holding her arms when Professor McGonagall reached them. Cleo had Lily's wand in the hand that wasn't restraining her and Marlene was holding one of her text books that Lily had attempted to throw at James. Mary and Savanna were still frozen in their seats where they had been since James had come and sat down.

As her Head of House looked between the mess of books, James, the overturned chair and finally at Lily, she felt the sudden urge to cry. Instead she bit her lip and looked down at the ground. She gently shook her arms free from Cleo and Marlene's grip and wrapped them around her middle.

"Can you explain to me what happened here?" McGonagall asked in a shocked voice.

"I- I-" Lily choked out. Then she bit down on her lip again, but it didn't help. The tears started coming down her cheeks anyway. McGonagall's glare did not soften.

"Speak up."

"I- shoved him, Professor." Lily got out, wiping her eyes.

"And I suppose his hair is normally changing colors?"

"No, I hexed him too." Lily whispered, watching the ink drip off the table instead of looking at Professor McGonagall.

"Go to my office and wait for me." She said and then she turned to face James. "Pick up his glasses and get hold of his bag, Cleo." She whipped her wand out and conjured up a levitating stretcher before putting James on it and steering him out of the library.

Cleo and Marlene followed her out and Lily was left standing at the scene of her crime. "Well, I'm really up to my neck in it now." She sighed, dropping to the floor.

"I think you made your point, Lily." Savanna said, getting out of her chair and moving to the bookshelf that James had fallen into. She stooped down and gathered the books, putting them back on the shelves they had fallen from. Lily took her lead and started putting everything back into her bag and picked up her chair. She didn't have anything to clean the ink up with, so she mopped up most of it with a scrap of parchment.

"It'll be alright." Savanna said when everything had been put back in its' proper place. "And James will probably leave you alone now."

"He'll be in the hospital." Lily sighed.

"Not for long. He was only unconscious because that book fell on his head." Savanna said. When Lily didn't answer, Mary sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have told you."

"What are you talking about?" Lily snapped. "This had nothing to do with what Snape supposedly said."

"What?"

"I was angry with James for being insufferable, I couldn't take it anymore and I went too far. This wasn't about what you told me." Lily explained. "I need to talk to Snape before I can be angry about that."

"I wouldn't lie to you about that."

"Probably not, but you aren't exactly his biggest fan. Maybe you heard him wrongly." She sighed again. "I should get to Professor McGonagall's office before she does." She picked up her bag and stalked out of the library.

"What is she talking about?" Savanna asked. "Did she just suggest that you made it up?"

"I think so." Mary said quietly. "I didn't." She said quickly, turning to Savanna with wide eyes. "Really, I didn't even want to tell her. I know that she's really good friends with him and I didn't want to hurt her. But I would never make anything like this up."

"I know, and Lily knows that too." Savanna put her arm around Mary's shoulder.

Coral walked around the corner with wide eyes and sat down across from the two girls. "What was that?"

"I think you know." Savanna said.

"Do you think she'd be angry if I said I thought it was hilarious?"

"Yes." Savanna chuckled. "But as long as you don't say it _to_ her, I think you should be alright."

"She's going to be in detention until Christmas holiday next year." Coral laughed.

"I don't know how Lily will handle detention." Savanna laughed.

"Not well." Mary sighed. "I'm going to go down to the hospital wing." She piled up her books and parchment and dropped them into her bag. "I'll meet you two later for dinner."

"Madam Pomfry isn't going to let you in." Coral said.

"It's my fault that Lily got so angry, I should do something to help her."

"It's not your fault that she attacked James, and I don't see how going to the hospital wing is going to help her." Savanna said.

"I just want to do something." Mary sighed. "I'll see you later."

oOoOo

The hospital wing was loud and hectic. James was still unconscious and laying on the hospital bed furthest from the door. Madam Pomfry was rummaging through her cupboards, trying to gather everything she needed for James and Remus without making it look like she was getting medicine for two people. Professor McGonagall had decided that the hospital wing was a good place to have Marlene, Cleo and a few other girls who had been in the library tell her what had happened between James and Lily. She slipped into the back room without anyone taking much notice and handed Remus a small cup of water and another with a pain potion in it. She put a hand to his forehead before pouring him something for his fever. She was about to leave when he grabbed her arm.

"What happened?"

"I don't see how that is any of your business young man. Now get some sleep."

"I heard James' name." Remus said. "Did he do something?"

"I haven't heard his side of the story yet. He's yet to wake up." At Remus's alarmed expression the matron laughed. "A book fell on his head from what I have gathered. It knocked him out. He's fine."

"Then what's all the commotion?"

"Didn't I just tell you not to worry about it?" She sighed.

"I won't be able to sleep with all that noise, not knowing what it is." He said, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Somehow I doubt that." She chuckled. "Oh alright. James Potter and Lily Evans got into a bit of a spat in the library. Professor McGonagall is talking to some students who saw the fight and I am going to tell them that they have to leave now."

"Is Lily alright?" Madam Pomfry laughed again.

"Well I am sure that she is a bit shaken up. She's in a lot of trouble." She covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head. "I shouldn't have told you that. You need to get to sleep now or I am going to give you another dose of the sleeping draught."

"Yes, Madam."

She walked out the door and started towards James' bed. Cleo was now sitting on the end near his feet and Marlene was still talking with Professor McGonagall. Madam Pomfry recognized Emery Brown, the Quidditch captain, standing near Marlene. She knew most of the Quidditch players because they had been in and out of the hospital more than any other students, except Remus of course.

"It's time for you all to leave." She said finally reaching James' side. I have all that I need to know and, when he wakes up you are just going to cause him unnecessary stress."

"Madam Pomfry," Professor McGonagall started. "I am nearly finished here and then we will be out of your way."

"You have five minutes." She huffed. She poured James a spoonful of a dark bluish potion and poured it into his mouth.

"What was that?" Cleo asked.

"Something for his head. It's going to hurt when he wakes up."

"You know, I am studying to become a healer." She said.

"Well let's hope that a bludger to the head doesn't ruin that for you."

"Quidditch isn't that dangerous." Cleo laughed. "I mean look, he was in the library when this happened." Madam Pomfry sent her a look that just made her laugh.

Professor McGonagall and the girls left a few minutes later and the hospital wing was quiet again.

oOoOo

When Lily reached Professor McGonagall's office, the door was closed and she wasn't sure if she was supposed to wait inside or outside. She decided to knock on the door to make sure that the Professor hadn't gotten their first and was shocked when the door opened. It wasn't her Professor that greeted her though. It was the caretaker Filch.

"You can't come in right now. We're busy." Then he slammed the door in her face. She knocked again. "I told you that you can't come in right now." Filch called through the door.

"Professor McGonagall sent me to her office." Lily called back. "Is she in there?"

"Not yet."

Lily sighed and leaned up against one of the walls. She had thought about what McGonagall was going to do and she thought that a letter to her parents was almost a guarantee. Her mum was going to take this one of two ways. She would be horribly disappointed in Lily for breaking the rules and sending some boy to the hospital wing. That would be how her mum would react if the letter didn't include James' name. If the letter did include his name, then she would probably tease Lily for the rest of her life.

Lily was really hoping that the letter wouldn't say James' name in it.

Soon, the sound of Professor McGonagall's shoes clicking on the stone floor could be heard. When she reached the door to her office she looked down at Lily and then at her office door. "Thank you for waiting. Come inside now."

"Wait, Professor." Lily said. "Filch is in there waiting for you."

Professor McGonagall's eyes narrowed and she barged into her office. "Mr. Filch, I have told you numerous times to wait in the corridor when you wish to speak to me."

"This boy," Filch said excitedly, ignoring Professor McGonagall's irate expression. "was fighting with a first year in the Owlery."

"I will deal with him, you can leave now." She said without even glancing at the boy. Filch grumbled, but left the office. "Lily, come in and sit down."

Lily came into the office and shook her head when she saw Sirius. This whole mess was entirely his fault if you thought about it. James might not have come over to their table if he hadn't been looking for Sirius. She took the seat next to him.

"What happened, Black?"

"My brother and I had a bit of a disagreement, Professor." Sirius sighed. He didn't look proud of himself, he wasn't talking in that obnoxiously annoying tone of superiority, and he was actually being respectful. Lily was a bit taken back.

"What kind of disagreement ends with you being dragged to by office by the caretaker?" She seemed to notice that Sirius didn't seem too proud of his latest transgression.

"We… we fought, Professor."

"You aren't going to tell me that it was young Regulus who started it and that you should be pardoned for simply defending yourself?" She asked, raising her brow. Lily got the idea that was usually how these meetings went.

"No." Sirius said, and then he seemed to remember who he was talking to and added professor.

"Do we need to talk?"

"Can't you just give me detention, Professor?" This seemed to really take McGonagall back. Then she sighed.

"You will serve three detentions with me, starting tomorrow at seven. You are dismissed." Sirius nodded and left without another word. Once the door closed behind him, the knots that had seemed to have left Lily's stomach, returned.

"Well," Lily turned to her Professor and bit her lip. "What do you have to say for yourself, Evans?"

"My behavior was inexcusable, Professor. I can't defend what I did."

"He didn't provoke you?"

"No, Professor."

"Are you sure?" Lily shook her head. "Attacking students is strictly prohibited in this school. Using magic on another student is completely intolerable. If you attacked him, without being provoked, that will be two weeks of detention and I will be writing home to your parents."

"Yes, Professor." She said, looking down at the tips of her shoes.

"Lily?" She sighed. "Mary talked to me." Lily's head snapped up. "It's not an excuse for what you did to James but I want you to know that I will be talking to Snape and Rosier."

"Oh no, you don't have to do that. Please don't do that." She pleaded. "Mary probably misunderstood them. Please don't talk to them about it."

"We do not tolerate behavior like that, misunderstood or not." Professor McGonagall only seemed slightly taken back by her plea.

"Yes, Professor."

"You are dismissed." Lily got up and left.

oOoOo

Sirius walked down to the hospital wing, intending to visit Remus before Madam Pomfry took him to the Shrieking Shack. So he was more then slightly surprised to find James arguing with the Matron while laying in one of the hospital beds.

"What happened to you?" He asked, walking in and effectively ending whatever argument Madam Pomfry and James had been having.

"Where have you been?" James asked.

"Nowhere, what happened?"

"Nothing." James growled.

"He and Lily got into a fight." Remus smirked. "Lily won." Remus was lying on the bed next to James, looking frail and sickly but thoroughly amused.

"I didn't fight with her. She attacked me. I didn't do anything."

"Well that explains what she was doing in McGonagall's office." Sirius chuckled.

"What were you doing in McGonagall's office?" Remus asked.

"Getting detention, what else?" Remus shook his head.

"Is that why you didn't come down earlier?" Sirius nodded.

"Filch wanted to spend some time with me." Sirius plopped himself down on a chair in-between James and Remus's beds. "You know, it's quite possible that one day, we will all be in here with our own beds."

"The odds seem to be in our favor." James agreed. "Or against us. Depending on how you look at it."

"So, what happen with Lily?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know." James sighed. "I went over to ask them where you were and they said they hadn't seen you, so I just sat down and started talking to Lily and she jumped up out of her chair, hexed me and then pushed me into a bookshelf. Then I blacked out."

"I got into a fight with my brother in the Owlery." Sirius said.

"Why?"

"He's angry with me." Sirius said. "It doesn't matter though. You two are my brothers." They were quiet for a while.

"I need to take Remus out now. Sirius, you want to walk out ahead of me?"

"Sure." He walked out the door so he could make sure the halls were clear. It was almost dinner time and they should be empty, but there were always a few stragglers.

Soon James was left alone in the hospital wing. He wasn't even sure why he was still here. He was fine. His head didn't hurt that badly and he didn't want to spend the night in the hospital. He looked at all the empty beds around him and wondered if there had ever been a time when all of them were filled. It seemed a bit unlikely that almost two dozen beds were necessary.

His eyes wandered over to the small table next to his bed and he saw that there was a letter there. It was addressed to him in familiar script and it was half hidden under a bottle of some potion that Madam Pomfry was making him drink every three hours to help with his concussion.

He grabbed at the letter and tore open the envelope. It was from his mother. He had been expecting her to write to him since they got back to Hogwarts yesterday.

_Hello James, _

_I am really sorry that I left you to worry for so long. I am fine, not hurt at all and you have no need to worry anymore. _

_I don't know anything that they didn't put in the paper, except I didn't tell the Minister's assistant to give him any file. Poor bloke was probably so shaken up he forgot who had given him the file. _

_Of course your father says that this is exactly why he didn't want me going back to work, but I am safe, fine, and healthy. Neither of you have any reason to worry about me. _

_Anyway, if you thought Professor McGonagall wasn't going to send me a letter to tell me that you were in the hospital, then you were sadly mistaken young man. I can't believe it James. You left two days ago. Couldn't you have at least waited a week or two. I hope that you are_ alright_, and _have not been hurt too badly_. You are already enough of a lunatic without brain damage to add to it._

_You father sends his love and we can't wait to see you during the Easter holiday. _

_With lots of love, Mum_

He laughed at the letter and turned it over. He grabbed a quill and ink bottle off his side table. They were probably Madam Pomfry's, but he didn't think she would mind too much.

_Mum,_

_You being, 'not hurt at all,' just means that you had no reason not to write to me. I was sitting up here, without any word from you or dad for almost two whole days! _

_I am in the hospital because I was attacked by a certain red-head that I do not wish to speak of. I was knocked_ _unconscious and have only just woken up. Therefore, I haven't had time to ponder whether Professor McGonagall was going to send you a letter._

_That is all._

_Your annoyed son, James_

He would get Sirius to send it for him when he got back.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so there you are. I hope you liked it. Let me know what you think. :D<strong>


	20. Chapter Twenty: Punishment and Beginning

**AN: Hey everyone! This is a lot later than I wanted to get this chapter up, but I have good news. I already have the next chapter written! You won't have to wait as long! And I am going to try and get the next next chapter finished before I post the next chapter. So I am a bit more on top of things. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. It's Lily's first detention, oooh!**

**Stuff you should know because it took me a year to update(luckily that is an exaggeration): Lily put James in the hospital because she pushed him into a book shelf and a book knocked him out, she has to serve fourteen detentions for it. Sirius got into a fight with his brother in the owlery about family stuff and is in detention with Lily for two nights. Regulus is up to no good with the Slytherins and Peter is on the outs with the gang. **

**I think that's it. :) Enjoy**

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty: Punishment and New Beginnings <strong>

It was Lily Evans's first day of detention. It was the first time in her life that she was being punished by a teacher for something that she had deserved to be punished for. There had been this one time in primary school when her teacher made her sit on the bench during break-time because Wendy Alan had told her that Lily had broken her pencil but Lily had never touched the pencil. Now Lily knew that it had been magic that caused the pencil to snap but then she had found it completely unfair to have to sit and watch Wendy skip around the schoolyard while she was stuck on the bench.

This was different though, she knew that she deserved to be in detention and felt completely responsible for what had happened. After tonight she would have to serve thirteen more.

Honestly, she had been expecting detention to be a bit more brutal than this. All Professor McGonagall was making her do was write lines.

'I will not use magic on a fellow student unless in class unless instructed to do so.'

It had been shorter, simply 'I will not use magic on a fellow student' but Sirius, who was serving his detention with Lily, had pointed out that they were sometimes required to do so for class and McGonagall agreed with him.

Sirius was sitting a row behind her also writing lines. He was writing, 'I will not get into fights with my brother while in the Owlery.' His originally was, 'I will not get into fights,' but he changed his into something he said, "Was probably true."

Today was Tuesday. James had been released from the hospital that morning and the rumors had started flying. Luckily for Lily, most of the rumors involved some fight between Sirius and James rather than Lily and James. Sirius being in detention seemed to back up this story. Though some of the rumors were completely true. She could only guess that the people who knew the real story had heard it from one of the seventh year girls who had seen it happen. Why they didn't just keep their mouths shut was beyond Lily.

During breakfast Emery Brown had came up and sat beside Lily huffing and puffing but not saying anything. She didn't need to because Lily was getting the message. Emery had already yelled at Lily once for distracting James before a game. Injuring him before a game had to be about fifty times worse. She was actually surprised that Emery didn't say anything. The match against Hufflepuff was this weekend and, as Cleo had put it, "Emery was pulling her hair out."

In the corridor on the way to Charms, Lily was accosted by a group of third year Ravenclaws who wanted to know if it was true. That was all they asked, "Is it true?" When Lily asked what they were talking about one of them let out a giggle and another girl squealed, "It's definitely true!" And then they all walked away. When Lily asked Savanna what they were talking about, she tried to distract her with the homework they were going to hand in once they reached the classroom. Lily decided that this was Savanna's way of letting her know that she didn't want to know what they were talking about.

After Charms they had double Potions and Lily had to sit in the very front of the room to make sure she was as far as she could possibly be from James and Severus. She was avoiding Severus and she didn't care if he didn't know why, she didn't care if he looked hurt when she didn't return his, "Hello, Lily," she just didn't care today. Maybe she would talk to him tomorrow. Today she was just going to try and get through two hours of Professor Slughorn commenting on how Lily was sitting up front instead of in the back with her usual partner.

After lunch, they went to Herbology and Lily silently endured having bits of plant thrown at her by James who was trying to get her attention. She didn't get angry, but she did ignore him. She also ignored him when he tried to block the door after the class ended. She simply stayed at her seat and took a really long time putting all of her things into her bag until she heard him sigh and leave.

Dinner was a mess all of its own. All day Coral, Savanna and Mary had been keeping everyone away from Lily so that she didn't have to talk about what had happened, but by dinner Coral had stopped being the supportive friend and was entertaining anyone who would listen with the story of what had happened yesterday. Lily tried not to let it get to her, Coral just liked the attention that she was getting, but she was still the first to leave the great hall.

So when it finally came time to go to detention, Lily was grateful. She thought that her pathetic demeanor was what caused Professor McGonagall to give them such an easy task as writing lines. She was actually dreading detention ending. Going up to the common room, were most of the rumors about why James was in the hospital were true, was not something she wanted to do. The way she saw it, she had almost been punished enough today just by being forced to endure the rumor mill.

Eventually, much to her dismay, it was time for Lily and Sirius to go back. Lily sighed and followed behind Sirius as slowly as she could. Dragging her feet and running her hand along the wall.

"Walking slowly isn't going to do much you know. You're still going to have to go into the common room." Sirius said, smirking at her.

"Walking slowly," Lily said in as strong a voice she could muster. "Will give me more time to gather myself."

"What parts of yourself are you gathering." He laughed.

"Just leave it be, Sirius."

"Oh come on, Red. Relax." He fell back so that they were next to each other. "So, how was your first detention?" Lily looked over at him and sighed. She didn't know if he was trying to tease her or just asking so they had something to talk about.

"It wasn't that bad." She said.

"Lines are actually one of my least favorite."

"Why? They're easy."

"They're bloody boring."

"I suppose." Lily allowed.

"I like the detentions where Filch is there yelling over my shoulder." Sirius laughed. "It's so easy to get him all wound up."

"That sounds absolutely thrilling." Sirius nodded with a goofy grin on his face.

"Would you get upset with me if I asked you about what happened in the library?" He asked, still smiling.

"Would you get upset with me if I asked you about what happened in the Owlery?" Lily countered, squinting her eyes into slits.

"No." This took Lily by surprise.

"Really?" She asked, finding this hard to believe. Sirius didn't seem like the open book type.

"I wouldn't get upset." Sirius said. "Why would I?"

"Okay." She bit her lip. He had acted really strangely when Professor McGonagall had been asking him what had happened between Regulus and himself, and Lily was rather curious. Besides, James was Sirius's best friend. James had probably already told him all about what had happened in the library. It wouldn't be as if she was telling him things that he didn't already know. "I suppose you can ask me about it."

"Why did you attack him?" He asked. "I mean, I know that he was a berk and sent you about a dozen letters on Christmas day, and you do have quite the temper but did it really bother you enough to injure him?" Lily started swinging her arms at her sides. She wasn't going to tell Sirius about what Mary had told her and that she had been angry with Severus, but it was a fair question.

"If I had seen James on Christmas Day, I would have been angry enough." She said.

"But this was about a week later."

"Can I just say that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"You can, but you'll have to elaborate."

"Okay. I had just… heard about something that had happened a few days ago and it made me really angry. Then James walked over and asked me if I liked his letters."

"And you snapped?"

"Obviously." They were quiet for a while. "It's your fault actually."

"This should be good."

"No, really! He came over because he was looking for you." Lily said.

"Lily, if he wasn't looking for me, he would have been looking for an extra quill or a text book or Merlin."

"What?"

"He just wanted an excuse to talk to you." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, Lily just stared at him, then it seemed to click into place for her and she shook her head.

"Oh right!" Lily laughed bitterly. "I forgot. It's because he's in love with me."

"Yeah. So it's not my fault."

"Alright, my turn. Why were you fighting with your brother?"

"Just because."

"That's not an answer."

"I said I wouldn't get angry, I didn't say I would give you a good answer." Sirius said. Lily hit his arm. "Ow! Maybe you need attitude adjustment or something. First you attack James and now you're hitting me."

"That was a mean trick."

"You only asked if I would get upset. I didn't lie to you, did I?"

"You still tricked me."

"Did you ask me if-"

"I shouldn't have to be so specific." They were walking along the fifth floor now, only two floors to go.

"My brother and I don't get along very well, so we fought. That's about it."

"Why don't you and your brother get along?" Lily pressed.

"I don't know. We just don't."

"I have a sister." Lily said quietly.

"Fascinating." Lily rolled her eyes at him.

"We don't get along either."

"You don't seem to get along with anyone." Lily hit his arm again.

"She's a muggle." Lily went on. "I think she's angry because I'm a witch and she's not. I mean, I would be upset too, if it were the other way around. But she doesn't even write to me and when I'm at home, she can't even stand to be in the same room as me."

"You don't have to talk to me about this. We're not friends." Sirius said.

"Sorry. I know." Lily was now feeling completely awful. Not only had they reached the Fat Ladies portrait, but now she was thinking about her sister too.

"I can walk in ahead of you and scare everyone off." Sirius offered.

"I think that would draw even more attention. I'm just going to try and sneak up to my room. If James is in there though, you could distract him for me."

"And why would I do that for you?"

"Because if you don't, I'll hit you." Lily threatened. Sirius sighed.

"I guess I can try." He agreed. "So, until detention time tomorrow."

"Until tomorrow." Lily agreed. And then Sirius walked through the porthole. Lily didn't see how waiting outside was going to help her so she followed him after a moment. It wasn't as awful as she had imagined but it still wasn't great. People were whispering and pointing and Lily didn't like it. She saw Savanna and Mary in their corner get up and walked towards the stairs.

"Hey." Savanna said when she reached them. "Are you OK?"

"Well, I'm still alive." Lily tried to give her a convincing smile. "Actually it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be."

"I told you that detention wasn't going to kill you." Mary said smiling. Lily shook her head.

"I suppose I should listen to you more."

"Now if only I can get everyone else to think like that."

"My mum sent me a tin of sweets, so you want to go and have some of them?" Savanna asked. The offer was tempting because Savanna's mum was probably the greatest chef alive, but Lily wasn't really ready for it. Staying up and eating sweets meant staying up and talking and if they stayed up and talked, the other girls would want to join in. Lily didn't want to talk to the other girls.

"Actually, I just want to get some sleep. Maybe tomorrow."

"I want some sweets." Mary pouted. "I love the things that your mum sends."

"I asked Lily, not you." Savanna teased. Mary put on a show of pretending to be offended.

"Well," Mary said after she had finished, turning to Lily. "If you're just going to sleep, we're going to stay down here a bit longer and work on Professor Sprout's homework."

"Okay, goodnight." Lily waved to them and walked towards the stairs. She had almost reached them when she heard her name being called and turned around. As soon as she had, she wished that she hadn't.

"Hey!" James said, jogging up to her with a smile on his face. "I didn't think that you were going to stop." She was about to snap at him when she remembered that she sort of owed him and apology and the sooner she did it the less painful it would be for her pride. "I actually came over here to apologize." James said, suddenly looking more serious and completely sincere. Lily was shocked. "I shouldn't have sent you all those letters and annoyed you like that. I really didn't mean to upset you so much and I'm sorry. I suppose I can get a little carried away."

"My mum read most of them." Lily said hoping that it would embarrass him.

Instead of blushing, James just laughed. "Great, so now she thinks that I'm a menace?"

"If she did, she wouldn't be wrong." Lily said. There was no way that she was going to tell James that her mother found the letters endearing and was probably going to have them framed.

"I suppose not." James frowned. "Well, that's it I would think. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." He turned to walk away but Lily reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him. He looked up at her in surprise and she pulled her hand away as though she had been burnt. They stood in awkward silence for a moment before Lily cleared her throat and forced herself to spit out the words.

"I want to apologize too." Lily said. "I really shouldn't have hexed you yesterday. Or shoved you into the bookshelf." James shook his head and smiled.

"You don't need to apologize, I was being a-"

"No, it wasn't your fault." She said, finding it easier than she had thought it would be to apologize. "I mean I was upset with you, but I was more angry with- about something else. If yesterday had happened sooner after the letter incident, I probably wouldn't feel so bad about it. You were there and I took it out on you. It wasn't fair and I'm sorry."

"Well, I forgive you." James smiled.

"I forgive you too." Lily smiled back. Surprisingly, this wasn't very hard for her to say. And for some reason it made her feel better. She was still going to have to serve detention for a while, people were still going to whisper about her, she still had to have an awful conversation with Sev, and he sister didn't like magic but forgiving James made her feel better somehow. She guessed that it was because she didn't have to be angry with him any more. She really didn't like being angry, it took a lot of energy.

"Good." James said, looking only slightly too pleased with himself. "Goodnight, Lily."

"G'night."

oOoOo

"What exactly are we hoping to accomplish?" Regulus asked in a jaded voice. "I don't see how anything _we _do here, especially here, is going to do anything."

"It's not about what we do here, Black." Rabastan said through gritted teeth. "We just have to prove ourselves to him. That way, when we are old enough to leave school, he will know that we are loyal and allow us to join him."

"And who is this man you keep talking about?" Regulus asked, leaning forward in his seat. They were all gathered in the Slytherin common room and it was almost two in the morning. Regulus and Rabastan were not the only two there. Severus, Evan, Charles, and Antonin were there as well. They were all hanging on to every word that was being said between the third and the first year.

"I told you, we do not speak his name."

"We don't speak it, or no one's told you?"

Rabastan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "We don't speak it. You can call him the Dark Lord."

"The Dark Lord?" Regulus asked skeptically. "Are you sure you're not making that up?"

"I am sure." He sighed. "Any more questions?"

"Yeah. Who put you in charge?" Regulus asked boldly. "Shouldn't your brother run these meetings or Jonah Henson?"

"They don't want to be in charge of babysitting you lot. Now, moving on to the agenda,"

"Did your brother give you the agenda?"

"Shut up, Reg." Evan said, pulling on his sleeve so that Regulus fell back into his seat.

"First, we have to build up our inventory of spells. We aren't going to get much done with the stuff the professors teach here, so we need to teach ourselves." Rabastan said in a loud clear voice. It was as if Regulus's questions had turned on a switch and he now felt the need to prove himself a leader. "This isn't going to be easy. We are going to have more late night meetings, but we obviously can't be practicing spells here in the common room, so we will need to find places to meet. Evan, Severus and Charles, you three can be scouts. If you find somewhere that you think would work, you can come and find me.

"Antonin, you can be in charge of recruitment. If you think that someone is interested in joining the cause, run the name by me and then if they seem suitable, you can invite them to join us.

"We also need books from the restricted section. Regulus, that will be your job." He knew that this was his job because whoever had to get the books from the library was most likely going to be caught. This job was his first punishment for asking questions.

oOoOo

Peter was shaking like a leaf as he walked through the large oak doors. His shoes seemed to make more noise than usual and he was actually wishing that he hadn't have eaten such a large breakfast because he was starting to feel it come back up.

The door at the other side of the room seemed closer far faster than normal, like it was going to meet him halfway. He paused and bent down to retie his shoe again. When he stood back up, he straightened his robes and slid his bag up his shoulder. Madame Pomfrey was standing off to the side, pretending that she didn't notice Peter but watching him out of the corner of her eye.

Peter took another few steps and reached the door to Remus's room. He paused there. Should he knock or just open the door? Should he even be here, would Remus even want him to come in?

"Just go in dear, he's eating breakfast." Madame Pomfrey said gently, walking by with a stack of fresh laundry. Peter found his tongue to be abnormally dry so he just nodded and tried to smile.

His hand was shaking as he reached out for the doorknob and slowly twisted it. The door opened and Peter gave the handle a squeeze. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You can do this." He thought. "It's just Remus."

He took a step into the room and jumped when he heard Remus's voice.

"I thought you two said that you couldn't- Oh." Peter turned around to face him. Remus was sitting in his bed with his arm in a sling and a bandage wrapped around his head. He had a long thin cut across his neck and his bottom lip was swollen. Peter gasped and took a step back, running into the open door.

"What happened to you?" He asked in shock.

Remus hung his head and muttered something that Peter couldn't hear.

"Did somebody do this to you?" Peter asked, getting closer to Remus.

"I did." Remus said quietly. "Last night."

"Why?" Peter's eyes were the size of saucers.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Remus said quickly. "The- you know- It happened when I-"

"While you were a werewolf?" Peter asked, the look of shock still on his face.

"Yes." Remus said, looking nearly as shocked as Peter just because he had said 'werewolf' without flinching and as if it were completely normal.

Peter then realized that he didn't feel so afraid any more. He had been expecting something as frightening as a werewolf to be in the room when he came in and instead he found Remus battered and bruised from something that he couldn't control.

Everything seemed to fall into place for Peter in that moment. Remus was still Remus, the wolf was something that he couldn't control or help. It wasn't fair to behave as he had been. He wouldn't want his friends to desert him if something like that happened to him.

"Remus, I'm sorry." Peter said.

"For what?"

"For being a prat. James and Sirius were right about me, I am an awful friend." Peter said shuffling his feet. "But I'll make it up to you. I will." He looked at Remus in earnest. "Well, if you'll let me. I understand if you don't want to be my friend any more. I wouldn't want to be my friend if I were you. Actually, I guess I should just go-"

"Peter!" Remus shouted, smiling at the babbling boy. "Of course I want to be your friend."

"Really?" Peter asked. "That's great!"

"It is great." Remus agreed. They smiled at each other for a moment, but then Peter's smile fell.

"I don't think that Sirius and James will think so."

"It'll be fine. They won't give you any trouble."

"I hope you're right."

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><p><strong>Tell me what you think in a review. There's a Quidditch match in the next chapter!<strong>


	21. Chapter twentyOne: Strains and Theories

**AN: Here we are. Please Enjoy. :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-one: Strains and Theories <strong>

Lily was able to avoid Severus until Friday afternoon when he finally cornered her in the library, still completely unaware that she knew what he had said to Mary in the carriage, and demanded to speak with her.

"Maybe Lily doesn't want to talk to you." Savanna said, checking to make sure that Lily wasn't going to answer him and seeing that Mary was hiding behind her potion's book.

"I think she knows how to speak for herself, House." Severus snarled, not bothering to look at Savanna.

"I know that, Snape." She shot back, narrowing her eyes. "I just pointed out that maybe she doesn't want to talk to you."

"Well, she could tell me that herself."

"If I wasn't speaking with you, I wouldn't tell you." Lily muttered, still looking down at her half written History of Magic essay. It had been a really weird week for her and this wasn't really how she wanted to end it, arguing with her supposed best friend.

For one thing, she seemed to be getting along with the Marauders. Remus had never been a problem but she was getting along with Sirius and James too. Sirius and herself were having full length conversations during their detentions, and James wasn't annoying her to no end during all of their classes. They were actually partnered together in Transfiguration and Lily didn't feel the need to bang her head against the desk the whole time.

For another thing, Lily had been avoiding Severus like the plague. Whenever she saw him, she would turn around and head in the opposite direction. She didn't want to talk to him, she didn't want Mary to be right, and she didn't want to have to be angry with him. As of right now, she was trying to be blissfully ignorant about the conversation that had taken place on the carriage.

"Lily, please talk to me." Severus pleaded.

"Alright." Lily stood up, leaving her books and bag at her table and walked to the far side of the library. "What do you want?" She said caustically. "What do you have to say to me?"

"What did I do?" He asked with wide eyes. She could see that he was honestly confused. He really didn't know the Mary had told her anything. He was just confused. This didn't make anything better, it didn't fix anything, but Lily realized that she could leave it like that. She could say that she was angry about something else, Petunia or Potter, and they could go on being friends. She wouldn't have to have this conversation with him and nothing would have to change.

Or maybe he had nothing to be sorry about. Maybe Mary had heard him wrongly and he hadn't said anything in the carriage that she should be upset about. Or maybe Mary was making it up. Lily didn't know what to believe.

She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and looked back at the table where Mary and Savanna were pretending to work on their homework and bit her lip. Severus followed her gaze and then huffed.

"She lied!" Lily's head shot up at that. That was all but a confession.

"What?" She asked softly.

"Whatever Mary told you was a lie." Lily sighed. She wasn't ready to lose him and if she pushed this, she might.

"Okay."

"I promise, I- What?"

"I said, Okay. I believe you." Lily tried to smile at him.

"Good." He said slowly. "So, we're friends again?"

"Yes."

"You'll stop avoiding me?"

"Yes."

"Okay, you want to study tomorrow?"

"Sure. What time should I meet you here?"

"We can come up here after breakfast." Severus said, moving his bag from one shoulder to the other.

"There's a Quidditch game tomorrow."

"That just means that it'll be quieter."

"I would rather like to watch it."

"Why, do you want to see Potter flip around on his broom?"

"I want to support my house. And I like going to the games." She said. "I'll meet you here after that."

"Okay." He huffed. Lily didn't care though. She didn't mind if he was upset that she had chosen to go to a Quidditch match rather than meeting him. If she was going to pretend that what Mary had told her was untrue, he could put up with her going to the Quidditch game.

"I'll see you later, Sev."

"See you, Lil."

oOoOo

"He has other friends." Sirius said, not trying at all to keep his voice down. "Why doesn't he go sit with them? They actually like him." They were on their way down to the Quidditch match, weaving their way through the crowd.

"I want him to sit with us. I like him." Remus said through clenched teeth. "Now stop it."

"Stop what? I don't want to sit anywhere near him."

"Well, I am going to sit next to him." Remus said marching ahead of Sirius. "Peter, wait up!"

"Are you out of your mind?" Sirius asked, pulling Remus back and forcing him to stop. "We've been at this all week, Remus."

"Just drop it. Please drop it. I want to be friends with Peter again, he feels bad about what he said and what he did, let's just be friends with him again."

"I didn't like him all that much the first time, and you didn't even hear the things that he said about you!"

"It doesn't matter!" Remus threw his hands in the air and stomped his foot. "You don't get it, Sirius. No one except you and James have ever accepted me," He looked around to make sure that no one was paying any attention to them. "No one has ever accepted me, knowing what I am. It took him some time but he actually apologized to me!"

"You don't need Peter. I'm glad he apologized, but that doesn't mean you should forgive him."

"Sirius, he _wants_ to be friends with me. He doesn't mind that I- you know. He _wants_ to be my friend. He came to me and apologized for what he said and asked if he could make it up to me." Remus ran both of his hands through his hair and looked up at Sirius, willing him to understand. "Do you know what my Aunt did when she found out? My dad's sister, do you know what she did?"

"No, Remus. I don't."

"She called me a monster, threw a dish at me and ran out of the house." Remus's shoulders slumped and Sirius saw that all the fight had left his eyes. "I was only five. Peter knows what I am and he still wants to be my friend. You're going to have to live with that."

"Remus, you shouldn't just forgive him because you-" Sirius was going to argue back, but he didn't see the point. He did understand why Remus had forgiven Peter, he understood the need to feel accepted for who he was despite what other people thought about him. "I'll let him sit with us today." Remus smiled. "But don't expect me to like him any time soon."

"Thank you."

"Yeah, sure. Let's just get down to the pitch before James thinks we've abandoned him."

oOoOo

James was pacing back and forth in the changing room, waiting for Emery to jump down from the bench and announce to the team that it was time to line up for the game. He really didn't like this waiting. It was going to drive him mad if he had to stand there much longer waiting for the game to start. He needed to get on his broom and into the air so that he didn't have to think about all the ways that he could potentially mess this up.

"Would you like a bite?" Cleo asked, holding out an apple. James laughed and shook his head.

"No, I don't want a bite of your apple, thanks though."

"Your loss." Cleo said squinting at the fruit. "I think it's got a worm in it or something."

"Why would you offer me fruit that you think has a worm in it?" Cleo shrugged and tossed the apple over her shoulder.

"Are you nervous?"

"We've been over this, yes I am nervous." James stretched his arms out and swung them around. "I'll continue to be nervous until I'm on my broom."

"And you sure that you've got to grips your new broom?"

"I've had it since the hols, I think I'll be alright." James said.

"I wish I had a new broom." She said looking over at her old comet. "But I'm going to be an Auror, and Aurors don't need good brooms."

"You act sort of funny before games, you know that?"

"I think I told you that."

"I didn't believe you."

"Look," She laughed, pointing to one of the beaters, Edward as he walked out of the bathroom. "Little Eddies being sick."

"Just because I walk out of the toilet, doesn't mean that I was getting sick, Cleo."

"You say that all the time." She shrugged and turned back to James. "Do you think that, if a Hufflepuff was an animal, it would be like a cat, rabbit hybrid with really long hair?" James laughed at her and walked over to Seth, the seeker, who was leaning up against his locker tossing an old snitch back and forth between his hands.

"She's a lot to handle." He grinned at James.

"That she is." James agreed.

"Alright team!" Emery said, jumping down from the bench and walking over to her broom. "It's time to play Quidditch."

"AND HERE IS THE GRYFFINDOR TEAM, MY FELLOW STUDENTS!" Boomed the familiar voice of Richard Smith across the Quidditch pitch. "AND IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE READY TO PLAY. MADAM HOOCH TOSSES THE QUAFFLE INTO THE AIR AND THEY'RE OFF."

"YES, CLIFF TAKES THE QUAFFLE AND IS QUICK TO HEAD FOR THE HUFFLEPUFF GOAL." Josiah's voice joined his brother's. "CLIFF PASSES THE QUAFFLE TO POTTER WHO JUST DID A FAIRLY IMPRESSIVE DODGE OF A BLUDGER JUST THERE."

"HE PASSES THE QUAFFLE BACK TO CLIFF WHO PASSES IT TO DOWNING- OH!"

"INTERCEPTION! LOOKS LIKE HUFFLEPUFF ISN'T GOING TO LET GRIFFINDOR WIN WITHOUT A FIGHT."

"THEY ARE ALREADY DOING BETTER THAN YOU DID, JO."

"SHUT IT RICH. LITTLE ALBERT BUXLY HAS THE QUAFFLE AND IS CHARGING DOWN TOWARDS BROWN WHO LOOKS LIKE A DRAGON GUARDING HER EGGS."

"QUIDDITCH IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT TO BROWN THAN THAT." Richard laughed. "POTTER IS COMING UP BEHIND BUXLY, CLIFF IS COMING UP ON HIS OTHER SIDE. BUXLY'S GOING TO HAVE A TOUGH TIME GETTING RID OF THE QUAFFLE. IF HE TRIES TO PASS, ONE OF THE GRYFFINDOR BOYS WILL JUST GRAB IT, AND IT WOULD BE FAIRLY DIFFICULT TO AIM FOR THE GOAL POST WHEN YOU'RE BEING FLANKED LIKE THAT."

"I AGREE, THE HUFFLEPUFF BEATERS NEED TO GET ON THAT."

"DON'T BE GIVING THEM ANY IDEAS, JO."

"TRUST ME RICH, THE PLAYERS AREN'T LISTENING TO ANYTHING WE'RE SAYING."

"ANYWAY, BUXLY'S STILL TRYING TO LOSE POTTER AND CLIFF BUT HE'S NOT HAVING MUCH LUCK AND THE HUFFLEPUFF BEATERS SEEM TO BE HESITANT ABOUT HITTING A BLUDGER THAT WAY. PROBABLY AFRAID OF HITTING THEIR OWN PLAYER."

"THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THEY HAVE TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION. YOU DON'T WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR INJURING YOUR OWN TEAMMATE." Josiah said.

"AND LOOKS LIKE BUXLY'S DROPPED THE QUAFFLE, AND DOWNING WAS THERE, WAITING. GRYFFINDOR GAINS CONTROL OF THE QUAFFLE AGAIN, MAYBE THEY WILL SCORE THIS TIME."

oOoOo

"I can't believe we are missing the match." Lily huffed as she and Savanna ran down another flight of stairs.

"I had to get my mittens!" Savanna cried. "It's January, Lily. Do you want my fingers to freeze off?"

"No, that's why I went back to our room with you, but we are missing the game so hurry up!"

"If I run any faster I am going to fall down the stairs."

"Well don't do that!"

"I'm trying not to!" She giggled.

They were running past a portrait of Helga the Horrible on the third floor when Lily saw someone slink around the corner ahead of them. She slowed her pace and looked over at Savanna, who seemed to have seen the same that she had.

"Is somebody hiding from us?" Savanna whispered. Lily shrugged. Both girls walked towards the corridor and Lily peeked around the corner.

"Professor Seresin?" She asked, completely shocked.

"Oh, hello!" He barked, turning around and acting as though he had only just spotted the girls. He had his left hand covering half of his face and a hat pulled low over his eyes. "Off to the Quidditch match, are you?"

"Yes, professor." Savanna said, looking up at her teacher with a peculiar expression. "Do you have a toothache?"

"Yes, I do. I am off to see the nurse just now actually. Why don't you two run along to the pitch? You don't want to miss the game."

"Yes, Professor." Lily said. "See you in class on Monday."

"Yes, well get moving."

They rushed along, but at a much slower pace than they had been. When they finally reached the grounds, Lily stopped and looked at Savanna. They could hear the crowds from around the pitch cheering, but the need to get there quickly didn't seem so great any more.

"That was odd." Savanna said thoughtfully. "He was lying about the toothache. He was holding his cheekbone, not his jaw or anywhere near his teeth."

"How would you know what that means?"

"My dad was a healer." She said off-handedly.

"Was?"

"Is. I mean he is a healer." She took her mittens out of her pockets and pulled them on. "Why would Seresin lie about that?"

"What made you think that he was going to lie about that?"

"He hid from us, Lily."

"So!" Lily looked shocked. "You are supposed to respect teachers privacy not trick them into answering questions to see if they are going to lie."

"I don't trust him."

"And why not?"

"I just don't." Savanna sighed and started walking towards the pitch. "Think about it. He disappeared from school the day that there was an attempted assassination of the Minister of Magic. That's pretty suspicious."

"You know who else was unaccounted for? Henderson, the other man running for Minister of Magic, do you think that he did it too?"

"Maybe." She shrugged. "With all of these raids and what not going on, I don't know what to believe." Lily shook her head at her friend's foolish statement.

"Let's just go to the game, we can talk about this later."

"Alright."

oOoOo

"AND THAT'S ANOTHER SCORE FOR HUFFLEPUFF." Josiah said with a laugh. "YOU KNOW I HAVE TO SAY THAT I REALLY WASN'T EXPECTING THEM TO DO THIS WELL. THAT PUTS THE SCORE AT 60-20 IN FAVOR OF HUFFLEPUFF. LOOKS LIKE YOUR HOUSE ISN'T DOING TO WELL."

"A MERE 40 POINTS MEANS NOTHING IN THIS GAME, AND YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT." Richard huffed. "AND NOW GRYFFINDOR HAS THE QUAFFLE. DOWNING TOSSES IS TO POTTER WHO- OH! HE FEIGNED A PASS TO CLIFF AND TOSSES IT BACK TO DOWNING. SHE SWERVES ROUND A HUFFLEPUFF CHASER, THROWS THE BALL AND- SCORES! ABOUT TIME TOO. I WAS STARTING TO GET WORRIED."

"THAT BRINGS THE SCORE TO 60-30, HUFFLEPUFF NOW ONLY HAS A 30 POINT LEAD. VANCE HAS THE BALL AND HE THROWS IT TO BUXLY. OH! I THOUGHT STEAVENSON'S BLUDGER HAD HIM THERE, BUT HE SOMEHOW MANAGED TO DODGE THAT." Josiah clapped along with the rest of the crowd.

"YES! I MEAN, IT LOOKS LIKE POTTER MANAGED TO INTERCEPT THE QUAFFLE WHILE BUXLY WAS THROWING IT TO VANCE. AND HE'S OFF. YOU CAN TELL THAT BOYS GOT HIMSELF A NEW BROOM OVER THE HOLIDAYS, LOOK AT HIM GO." Richard let out a whistle. "HE'S AIMING HIS THROW…AND SCORES!"

"WELL IT LOOKS LIKE THE GRYIFFINDOR TEAM IS GETTING TIRED OF LOSING. "

"AND IT'S ABOUT TIME TOO."

"HEY RICH, DO YOU SEE THAT?"

"I DO! IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THE SEEKERS HAVE SPOTTED THE SNITCH"

"…"

"YOU CAN ALWAYS TELL WHEN EVERYONE IS WATCHING THE SEEKERS BECAUSE IT GETS PRETTY QUIET AND THE COMENTATORS FORGET TO ANOUNCE WHEN PLAYERS HAVE SCORED. DOWNING HAS JUST MADE ANOTHER GOAL FOR GRYFFINDOR. THE SCORE IS 60-40." Josiah said.

"HESTIA JONES AND SETH STEIN ARE BOTH REACHING OUT FOR THE SNITCH NOW. IT'S GOING TO BE CLOSE."

"AND NOW POTTER'S SCORED. 60-50."

"STEIN LOOKS LIKE HE'S PULLING AHEAD OF JONES."

"WISHFUL THINKING THAT IS, THEY'RE NECK IN NECK."

"HERE COMES A BLUDGER SENT BY STEAVENSON, IT MISSES JONES, BUT SHE HAD TO DODGE."

"YES, NOW STEIN IS AHEAD."

"HE LUNGES FOR THE SNITCH AND… DID HE JUST MISS- NO! HE GOT IT. HE GOT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

oOoOo

Lily was only slightly surprised to see Sirius and James waiting outside of McGonagall's classroom when she went down for detention number 6.

"What did you two do now?" She asked, putting a hand on her hip and trying to look stern.

"Bertram Aubrey is a sore loser." James muttered.

"We had to teach him a lesson." Sirius nodded.

"No we didn't!" James snapped. "Thanks to you, we are missing the party."

"You don't think that hanging out with Lily and I in detention beats a post-Quidditch party?" James just gave Sirius a look. "Some friend you are."

"What did Bertram do?" Lily asked before James could launch himself at Sirius.

"I forgot." Sirius shrugged. "But you should have seen the size of his head."

"It was rather large." James laughed. "It seems as though we will be joining you tonight and tomorrow."

"You hex a bloke's head so that it's huge and you only get two detentions?" Lily cried. "All I did was make your hair change color and I got two weeks!"

"Two things, Lily my dear." James smirked. "First of all, I was unconscious when McGonagall walked in, right? She couldn't just give you two detentions. And second of all, we won the game today."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"McGonagall's putty in our hands after we win a game. She likes having the cup in her office."

"That's not fair." Lily crossed her arms.

"What's not fair?" Professor McGonagall asked, walking up behind the group of students. "Come along, you'll be sorting through old text books for me today."

They followed her into the classroom and Sirius groaned when he saw the piles of books on the desks.

"Don't complain, Black. You know that you deserve far worse than this , don't try my patience."

"Yes, Professor."

"Now, you will put all of the books that are unusable into one pile and all the other books into another pile. Then you will go through each of the usable books and put a label on the inside of the front cover. Questions? No, good." She went up to her desk, grabbed a stack of parchment and started back towards the door. "I'll be back in two hours to dismiss you."

"Yes, Professor." Lily said, walking over to the stack of books and picking one up. The boys followed her over to the pile, and they too picked up a book. McGonagall nodded her approval and walked out of the classroom.

"I wonder where she's going." Sirius mused.

"Who knows?" James said.

"It could have something to do with Professor Seresin." Lily said.

"Why would it have something to do with him?"

"He just got back today. Savanna and I saw him in the corridor on our way to the Quidditch game."

"You were at the Quidditch game?" James asked, smiling.

"Focus James. Seresin's back? What did he say to you?"

"That he had a toothache and was going to visit Madam Pomfry."

"That's it?"

"Yes." Lily didn't know why but she told them what Savanna told her. "He was lying though. He was holding his cheekbone instead of his jaw. Well, that's what Savanna said anyway."

"Why would he lie about a toothache?" Sirius asked. Lily sighed, she hadn't really explained anything.

"He had his hand covering half of his face, so Savanna asked him if he had a toothache. Now that I think about it, he had his hat pulled really low too. What if he's injured?"

"He might be." James said. "But I wonder what injured him."

"You mean who injured him." Sirius corrected.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"Do you remember the name of the bloke who found the Minister?" Sirius asked.

"No."

"His name was Nigel." James said. "Nigel Seresin."

"_Professor_ Seresin's son." Sirius added.

"Oh not you two as well." Lily threw the book she was looking threw into the unusable pile. Years of storage had made the book a treat for some mice.

"What?" James asked, tossing his book in the usable pile.

"Savanna thinks that Professor Seresin had something do with the attack on the Minister as well."

"We didn't say that it was our teacher. We think it was his son." Sirius said.

"Seresin must have stayed with him to help clean up the mess." James picked up a new book. "What else did Savanna say?"

"I don't know." Lily put another book in the unusable pile.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Sirius asked. James ignored him.

"Do you think we should tell her?" He asked with a grin.

"Do I even want to know?"

"Nigel was at the school the week before we left for hols." James said. "He came here with the Minister, he's the Minister's assistant, and Remus and Frank heard Seresin and him fighting about how he wasn't supposed to be at the school at all because some man that they are both working for said so."

"Yeah, and when James tried to help Nigel find Dumbledore's office, he ran away!" Sirius said. "And then he just happens to walk into the Minister's office to find him unconscious?"

"Yeah." Lily said shaking her head. "How weird is it that the Minister's _assistant_ was the one to find him in his office. You two really got this whole thing worked out don't you?"

"In the article," James pushed on, completely undeterred by her doubt. "He said that he was only in the office because he was delivering files that my _mum_ had given him. My mum told me that she had never told Nigel to give the Minister any files. That's one lie right there. Remus heard him tell Seresin that he was going to tell the Minister that he was ill and that was why he never made the meeting, that's two lies."

"Playing hooky and trying to kill the Minister, that's not a leap at all." Lily said sarcastically.

"I'm just saying that he might have had something to do with it."

"Well, what about the Aurors that were stationed outside his room?" She countered. "Did they have something to do with it?"

"Not necessarily." Sirius said. "But it is highly likely. That's why they're taking all the blame. Nobody understands how somebody could get into the office without them noticing."

"See, that's a legitimate theory." Lily agreed.

"So is the Nigel theory. We're not saying he did it." Sirius said. "Just that he and Seresin are up to something."

"And that he probably did it." James added.

"Well, if I were you, I wouldn't go spreading that around to a lot of people. Seresin doesn't seem like the kind to take a couple of twelve year olds spreading rumors about him lightly."

"Yeah, yeah."

"And if he _is_ up to something," Lily allowed, "Do you really want to cross him? Anyway, we should probably finish with these books. We don't want McGonagall to come back and see that we haven't really done anything."

"No, we don't want that." Sirius sighed, tossing a random book in the usable pile without looking at it."

"Sirius." Lily frowned at him before fetching the book and checking it over.

"Lily's right." James said. "Let's just finish." She smiled at him and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"As you say."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hope you liked it. Let me know in a review. I don't really know when the next chapter will be up but I am going to try and get it up fairly quickly. If everything goes how I want, I will have this story finished by the end of the month. That means more updates at regular intervals, so we'll see. <strong>

**Review!**


	22. Chapter TwentyTwo: Late Night Escapade

**AN: Here is the next chapter. I can't believe this story is getting so long! This chapter is pretty intense. I think that we are starting to reach the endish. A few more chapters and I think that will be it. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Two: Late Night Escapade <strong>

**Sunday Night **

Remus, James and Sirius shuffled down the empty corridor under the protection of James' invisibility cloak. It was their first nightly excursion since the holidays and they were slightly out of practice moving about together.

"Watch it James! That's my foot!" Remus hissed for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night.

"Sorry." James muttered, trying to move farther away from Remus's feet but he stepped too far and their ankles became visible. He stepped back towards Remus, who was quick to move his feet out of the way, and made them stop. "Why is this so difficult?" James sighed.

"Because you don't know how to walk properly." Sirius sighed, stepping out from under the cloak and pulling it off of the other two boys as well. "We don't really need it. If we hear someone coming, we can just throw it on."

"We could get caught." Remus said.

"The cloak doesn't make us invincible." Sirius grinned. "We could still get caught even if we were wearing it. James could sneeze or something."

"That was one time!" James exclaimed, shoving the cloak into his pocket. "And we are going to get caught if we just stand here talking. Let's go."

The boys continued on their way, now paying extra close attention so that they would know if Filch or his cat was about to appear around the corner.

"So, what exactly are we doing?" Sirius whispered once they reached the end of the corridor on the seventh floor.

"We are starting in the very top of the castle." James replied with a smile.

"Yes, but you forgot to mention to me what we were doing in the top of the castle." Sirius said.

"Well," Remus said as though Sirius should already know the answer. "We are making a map of the school, don't you think that it would be wise to explore the school?"

"And find the hidden passages?" James added.

"Well you two didn't tell me what we were doing. I thought we were just going to the kitchens or something."

"The kitchens are in the opposite direction, Sirius."

"It's dark." He replied turning his back on his friends and observing an odd tapestry of a group of witches and wizards dancing gleefully while surrounded by crouching tigers.

"So, I suppose we should start looking then." Remus said walking over to another tapestry and pulling the bottom away from the wall to look behind it. Sirius looked behind the tapestry he had been looking at. He laughed when he found out that when he lifted up the corner, the people would stumble and fall. He kept doing this until James walked over and smacked him on the back of the head.

The boys continued down the corridor until they reached a tapestry that made them all pause for a moment. It depicted Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach trolls ballet.

"I think that this is my favorite of them all." Sirius said, looking at the picture rather admiringly.

"Barnabas reminds me of you." James mused causing Remus to chuckle.

"To bad there's not one of-"

"Keep you voice down Sirius!" Remus hissed. "Let's just finish this corridor and get back to the dormitory. It's getting really late."

"It's not that late." James said, but continued down the corridor regardless.

"It's late." Remus argued.

"Not really."

"It's after midnight."

"Does someone need their beauty sleep?"

"James, we have classes tomorrow morning."

"So, it's still not that late."

"Oi, girls! Stop arguing and come look at this!" Sirius said, forgetting to keep his voice down again.

"Look at what?" Remus asked walking over to the suit of armor Sirius was standing next to.

"It looks like the outline of a door." Sirius said, running his index finger along a slight abrasion behind the steel man.

"Well, how do we open it?" Remus asked.

"Open Sesame!" Sirius said in a deep voice, all the boys paused and waited. Nothing happened.

"Did you really think that was going to work?" James laughed.

"I would actually prefer you to say please." A new voice said. It was echoing, rough and seemed to be coming from with in the suit of armor. The Marauders all exchanged looks. Sirius scratched his head and shrugged.

"Okay, please open?"

"As you wish." The suit said. There was a slight rumble, similar in sound to when the staircases moved, and the wall behind the armor sunk farther back into the castle before sliding over to the right. When the rumbling stopped, there was a dark passage left where the wall had been only a few moments ago.

"Bloody hell." Sirius whispered in awe. James let out a whoop of delight and slung an arm around Remus's shoulder.

"We did it! We found a secret passage!"

"Well," Sirius said, a sly grin sliding onto his face. "Let's see where it leads."

Remus was the first to jump forward. James laughed at him. "I thought you said it was getting late."

"Shut up, James." Remus said, the smile on his face growing even larger.

The three boys clambered into the newly visible corridor and took out their wands. They all lit them and looked around. The passageway was grimy and looked as though it hadn't been used in hundreds of years. The stone walls seemed to be crumbling slightly from age, but the floor didn't appear to be worn from use.

James took the lead, the other two following closely behind him, all holding their wands up at eye level.

There was a sudden rumbling and dust fell on the boys, coating them with a chalky residue. They looked back over their shoulders just in time to see the stone door slide back into place, locking them in the old passage.

"Let's hope there's a way out of here." Sirius said, shaking the dust out of his hair and trying to brush some of it off his robes.

They continued down the dark corridor, which started to curve and slope. Soon they were met with narrow winding staircases. They had been traveling through the passage for less than ten minutes when they came to a fork in the path.

There was a tunnel that led off to the right and another tunnel that led to the left. They had to choose which way to go.

"Which way?" Remus asked, lifting his wand higher, trying to make more of the tunnels visible. "They look the same." He added after a few moments of speculation.

"It doesn't really matter." Sirius said. "Let's go this way," He nodded towards the left. "And we can come back later and see where the other one leads."

"Alright." James said, now following Sirius down the left tunnel.

"This is brilliant." Sirius whispered.

"I know." Remus said. "I can't believe that we found it."

A few moments later, they came to a dead end. There was a ladder in the middle of the narrow space but it looked like it was just stuck in the ceiling.

"How do we get out?" Remus asked, touching the walls around them to make sure there wasn't some hidden door.

"I think we're supposed to climb out." James said, running a hand through his hair. Sirius laughed.

"You think we're supposed to climb out the ceiling?"

"Well, what if…" He trailed off. Walking up to the ladder, James eyed the ceiling thoughtfully and then started to climb up the rungs. When he reached the top, he looked down at Sirius and Remus who were both giving him doubtful looks. He looked back at the ceiling and smiled to himself. He could see the slight wavering of the seemingly solid ceiling and he reached his hand up to where the next rung of the ladder would be if the ceiling was not there. He knew what was going to happen before it did. His hand went right through the ceiling and landed on the ladder. He paused only briefly before continuing up the ladder, letting his head join his hand in the apparent ceiling.

There was only one more ladder rung and then he had to pull himself up through the floor. When he stood up and brushed himself off, he looked around. He appeared to be standing in a normal corridor, but he wasn't quite sure where he was in the castle. They had traveled down so many staircases and been turned around so much in the tunnel that he could have been in Dumbledore's private study for all he knew.

That thought frightened him a bit. How would he explain to the Headmaster what he was doing in his study at a time like this? He looked around and decided that he was probably safe for now. He had his invisibility cloak with him after all.

He then turned around and almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of what he saw. Sirius's head was sticking out of the floor, followed closely by his shoulders, his arms and then his legs.

"That is bloody crazy." Sirius said, standing up and shaking himself off, much like how James had just done. "What made you think of that?"

"I don't know. The trick step, platform 9 and ¾ I suppose." James shrugged.

Remus's head was soon sticking up out of the floor and, after he had climbed out, he looked around and asked, "Are we in the dungeons?"

"We are, aren't we?" James exclaimed looking around at the slightly familiar corridor. "Yep, that's where we had one of our detentions a few months ago." He said, pointing to a spot not too far from where they were, where the boys had had to wash the floors but had ended up having a water fight.

Sirius stood up straighter and held up a hand to his friends. "Get out the cloak." He said without any explanation. Though one was not needed because, only a few seconds after they were safely hidden under the cloak, a small group of Slytherin boys walked around the corner of the corridor whispering quietly amongst themselves.

"Seresin is a bloody idiot." A sixth year by the name of Walden Macnair snickered, shaking his head. "If he thought he could get back in _his_ good graces before, well, he's got no chance now. Actually, my father said-"

"What are you talking about Macnair?" Rodolpus Lestrange said shaking his head. "You don't know anything."

"Yes, I do." Macnair said, looking disdainfully at the younger boy. "Your father isn't the only one who can get information, Lestrange." Rodolpus hung his head and muttered a few choice words under his breath. Macnair chose to ignore him. The group of boys continued walking and passed the invisible Marauders. None of them had to look at one another to know that they were going to follow the Slytherins.

"Anyway, my father said that Seresin's son is dead because he messed up." Sirius, James and Remus froze in shock. "Seresin wasn't here because he had to go and tell his wife, and probably try and hide her." Macnair continued. "Isn't that what you heard, Malfoy?"

"Something of the sort." Lucius said. "Wherever he hides her, she won't be safe. After what Seresin said to _him_, he's going to pay."

"I wouldn't be surprised if it happened tonight." Macnair laughed breezily. "It'll be in the papers tomorrow, 'Filthy half blood killed, raiders suspected.'"

"Turnbull will probably try and pin the blame on someone else. He's completely daft. If only that little prat had actually succeeded in killing him." Lestrange said, it seemed as though he had chosen to forget about his spat with Macnair. He sighed and added, "Of course, his stupidity is only helping us."

"Of course it is." Lucius sneered. "If he was actually on top of things, then there would have been at least one arrest." The Slytherins laughed quietly and continued down the corridor.

"Anyway, Seresin's days are numbered. Looks like the teaching position may be cursed after all." Macnair said.

James, Sirius and Remus stopped following them and none of them so much as breathed until they could no longer hear the Slytherins footsteps echoing off the walls.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" Sirius asked, ripping the cloak off the boys for the second time that night.

"We have to tell Dumbledore." Remus said with conviction.

"Of course we have to tell Dumbledore!" James agreed. By now the three boys were moving quickly in the direction of the headmaster's office.

"Wait!" Sirius said, laughing humorlessly. "You two can't be serious." He threw his arms in the air and spun around to face them, stopping them in the middle of a staircase. "What are we going to do? Go and wake Dumbledore at, what is it, two in the morning, and be all, 'Oh hello Professor, we were just gallivanting about the castle through a secret passage when we came across some Slytherins talking nonsense.' How do you think that will end?"

"We can leave some stuff out, but we need to tell him, Sirius." Remus said, side stepping Sirius. "This is more important then getting detention."

"We're not talking about detention, Remus!" Sirius hissed. "We're talking a month of detention at the least."

"We didn't do anything _that_ bad." James said, waving off Sirius's warning. "Besides, if Seresin is a danger to the students, then… we can't just do nothing."

"It didn't sound like he was." Sirius said. "It sounded like whatever he was doing, he's not anymore. He was blacklisted. He doesn't work with the raiders any more, they are after him!"

"We still have to tell Professor Dumbledore!" Remus exclaimed running a hand through his hair. "Our teacher's son tried to ki-"

"And what do you three think you're doing out of bed at this time of night?" The three boys froze in horror. Slowly, they all turned to face the figure who had just stepped out of the shadows. Their wand was held up by their face and flooded the corridor with light. The Marauders squinted while their eyes adjusted to the light, though they already knew who had joined their number.

"I'll ask you again then, yes?" Professor Seresin said darkly. "What are you three doing out of bed at a time like this?"

James could feel as if his heart was beating in his mouth and felt as though his stomach had dropped to his feet. He had never been more frightened then he was then. "W-we just, um," He looked over at the other two boys, who didn't seem likely to jump in and help him out. "We fancied ourselves a late night snack." James said.

"Oh?" Professor Seresin asked, taking a small step towards them. "And did you get lost?" He asked. "Last time I looked, the kitchen wasn't anywhere near the dungeon."

"Actually, we foun-" Seresin cut him off before he could finish his barely believable lie.

"Whatever you boys think you know, you don't. Do you understand?" He lowered his wand to the boy's faces and made sure to lock eyes with each of them. "And you're to speak of it to no one. Do you understand?" All three nodded their heads emphatically.

"Well then," Seresin said, reaching up his hand and scratching his bearded chin. "Why don't you boys come with me? It seems we need to sort out a punishment." When Seresin turned around to walk up the stairs, Sirius whipped out the invisibility cloak and threw it over them.

"Wha-" But Sirius covered Remus's mouth before he could say anything and they all started taking steps, very quietly, around their Professor. Seresin turned around to see if they were following him and he was very confused to see that none of them were behind him any longer.

"This isn't funny, boys." Seresin called out, sounding slightly desperate. "I mean it. You are breaking school rules by being out of bed at this time of night. If you don't show yourselves now, you will be in even more trouble tomorrow." He was doing a very poor job of trying to coax them out of hiding in James' opinion. The boys continued on up the stairs beneath the safety of the cloak.

When they reached the fourth floor, still listening to the ever-fading calls of Seresin for them to come out of hiding, they took off the cloak and ran. They ran until they reached the Fat Lady.

"Wake up!" Sirius shouted, banging his fists at the Fat Lady's feet. "Please! We have a mad man after us!" The Fat Lady's eyes opened slowly and she peered down at the disheveled boys in front of her.

"A mad man?" She yawned. "You know, I do not appreciate being woken in the middle of the night so rudely, only to be fed wild stories by the likes of you, Sirius Black."

"I'm sorry about him, ma'am." Remus said, smiling apologetically.

"Can you please let us in?" James asked, giving the password and hopping up and down nervously.

"Yes, very well." The Fat Lady said, crossing her arms and giving the boys a disapproving look, but swinging forward to reveal the porthole nonetheless.

They all raced into the common room and then, when they knew they were safe, they didn't know what else to do. Remus slid into a nearby chair, Sirius started flexing his hands and cracking his knuckles and James started pacing. Up and down, between Sirius and Remus. His hand was in his thick locks and his eyes wide. _What on earth were they going to do?_

"We just ran away from a professor." Remus said, cradling his head in his hands. "We just _ran_ from a professor. I mean we've tried to do it before, but…"

"We just ran away from a _raider_." Sirius reiterated. "Who bloody cares if he's a professor?"

"Well, we don't know for certain- and if he tells Dumbledore-"

"He's not going to tell Dumbledore." James snapped. "He knows that we know something, whether he's a raider or not, we know Nigel tried to kill the Minister. If he tells Dumbledore, then _we'll _tell Dumbledore."

"Nigel's dead, James. I think he thinks we know other things." Sirius muttered. "What are we going to do?" Sirius said, sitting down next to Remus. "We have Defense tomorrow. We can't go to class."

"Well, we can't skip it for the rest of the year." Remus said.

"Why not?" Sirius asked.

"We would fail."

"We would be alive though." Sirius countered.

"He wouldn't try anything in class." James said, still pacing back and forth. "He's not stupid."

"James," Sirius said, looking up at him. "We are so over our heads, mate."

"We need to tell Dumbledore." Remus said, Sirius nodded. "Though, we should probably wait until tomorrow."

"Yeah, when there are more witnesses in the corridor." Sirius shuddered.

"James, Sirius?" Remus said quietly, looking between the two boys. "What do you think _he_ was doing in the corridors this late?" Neither of the boys had an answer for Remus.

"Let's get up to bed. It's going to be a long enough day tomorrow." James said, looking at the clock on the wall, it was nearly three in the morning.

**The next morning**

Lily Evans was the first to rise on the morning of January the 30th. She smiled to herself when she saw a small bundle of packages on her nightstand and an array of cards. She threw her legs over the edge of her bed, slipped on her slippers and picked a card at random from the stack.

She went through and read each of the birthday cards that all of the girls from the dormitory had made for her and she opened Savanna and Mary's gift. They had brought her a purple and gold feather quill and Savanna's mother had sent her a giant chocolate chip cookie.

She was very pleased to see that, in the package from her family, even her sister Petunia had written her a nice note. She received a new set of novels and a box of butterscotch toffee from her mum and dad and a few colorful hair ribbons from her sister.

Carlee had sent her a letter as well. It was a very nice surprise to hear from her and she was shocked when a picture fell out of the letter. It was a hand drawn picture of Lily and Carlee peeking over their potions books in the middle of the library. Lily remembered when Carlee's brother Daniel had come into the library and asked if he could take a picture of the two of them. Lily read a small note that was scrawled on the back of the picture.

_Before you are too impressed with me, I didn't draw this. My brother Chris did. He's extremely talented and I needed something light to give you. It would be rather hard for a bird to fly across the ocean with anything bigger than a letter tied to its feet. _

Lily laughed and, setting her gifts aside, figured that it was about time to wake the other girls. After all, they did have their first DADA class of the term today. She was sort of excited. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, James, Sirius and Savanna had her wondering what their Professor was going to say today. If he had anything to say that is.

Mary was, as always, the easiest to wake up. A simple, 'Good Morning, Mary!' And the curly haired brunette would sit up and parrot Lily's greeting. Savanna had to be pulled out of bed this morning and threatened with being left behind before she stomped off to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. That effectively woke up the rest of the room.

"She's not a morning person. You all know that." Lily said, waving dismissively at the disgruntled looks she was getting from some of her roommates.

"You could just leave her here." Janis Parks sighed, pulling her blanket up over her head and falling back against her pillows.

"What kind of friend would I be then?" Lily asked with a giggle.

"To whom?" Jamie laughed, sounding slightly muffled under her blanket. "You would be a much better friend to _me_ if you left her here in the morning."

"Then we wouldn't have to wake up to slamming doors and angry shouts." Airiana Kaye added. "Oh! And happy birthday, Lily!" Suddenly there was a chorus of 'happy birthdays' and all the girls forgot about Savanna's tantrum.

oOoOo

Sirius had wanted to go to breakfast under the invisibility cloak and Remus had almost agreed with him. James was quite nervous as to what was going to happen today as well but hiding wasn't really the way he wanted to play this. Skipping Defense today was definitely okay with him but eating their breakfast under the cloak was not.

So they were walking down to breakfast in the largest crowd they could find. The Smith twins were walking a few feet in front of them, Peter, Ian, Stephan and Frank were walking with them and most of the sixth and seventh years were also going down in that wave. They felt pretty secure. Seresin would have to be fairly quick with a wand to pull anything with all these other people around.

"So, when are we going to talk to Professor Dumbledore?" Remus asked. "We can't just walk up to the staff table with Seresin sitting right next to him."

"Maybe Seresin won't be there yet." Sirius said. And they hung to that hope, until they walked into the Great Hall and saw that Professor Seresin and Professor Dumbledore were engaged in a seemingly jovial conversation.

"He's not going to give us any time to talk to him." James huffed, sliding onto the Gryffindor bench. "We'll have to go to Dumbledore while Seresin is preoccupied with class."

"Yeah, we'll just go visit him while we're skipping. Then we have a reason to skip class too." Remus said.

"That's what's really important." Sirius scoffed.

"Hey boys." Savanna said cheerfully, sitting down opposite of Remus. Lily and Mary sat on either side of her and waved to the boys.

"Morning." James said, mashing up his scrambled eggs and not looking up at them.

"So, Lily told me about your theory." Savanna said, pulling a plate of toast closer to her. She looked up expectantly, but when none of the boys said anything, she elaborated. "You know, about how Seresin-"

"Shhhh!" Sirius said, looking up at the staff table.

"Oh come off it." Lily said shaking her head. "He can't hear us from up there."

"I thought you said that spreading rumors about professors was a stupid thing to do." James said, looking at Lily.

"I wasn't spreading rumors." Lily said. "I just told Savanna and Mary."

"And we won't go telling everyone." Mary said.

"Whatever." James huffed, looking up at Seresin again. For a moment, his eyes locked with the Professor's. James dropped his gaze quickly and started focusing on his hands.

"You are all acting strangely." Lily said, looking the boys up and down and noticing that they all looked pale and disheveled. "Did you three get _any_ sleep last night?"

"Why are you so nosey?" Sirius asked harshly.

"I'm just curious." Lily said, slightly hurt. She didn't understand why they were acting like this. They had acted all chummy with her during detention the last two days.

"Well it's really none of your business." Remus said, trying to sound light but coming off rather rude.

"Well good then." Lily snapped. "I don't want to know."

"Anyway," Savanna said, looking between her friend and the boys with confusion. "I was just going to say that you three must be pretty excited about class this morning, finally getting to listen to his side of the story and look for holes."

"Yeah." Sirius said with a humorless laugh. "We're bloody thrilled. Let's get going now actually." He said standing up and pulling Remus up with him. "I think I left my book back in the dorm."

"Yeah, alright." James said, swinging his legs around the bench and following his friends. It struck him then that they probably looked rather suspicious, walking around with their heads bowed, looking the way they did. Hopefully no one would question them about it.

They had made it the doors of the great hall when two large hands grasped James and Sirius's shoulders. "Heading off to class early are you?" Seresin said cheerfully. "I am as well, why don't we walk together?"

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews are much appreciated. :D<strong>


	23. Chapter TwentyThree: Seresin Scrambles

**AN: Here is the next chapter! The thrilling Twenty-Third part of the epic tale of the Marauders Second Year! Well... whateves. Just read it. :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Three: Seresin Scrambles <strong>

_They had made it the doors of the great hall when two large hands grasped James and Sirius's shoulders. "Heading off to class early are you?" Seresin said cheerfully. "I am as well, why don't we walk together?"_

"Oh, hello Professor." Sirius said, trying to keep his voice from wavering. "Actually we were heading up to the dorm to fetch my book. I left it in my trunk this morning."

"Well, we won't be using our books in class today, so there is no need for that. Come along, will you?" He spoke carefully and clipped. He was trying to hard not to scare the boys off, which was actually terrifying them all the more.

They walked down the corridor, Seresin not letting go of James or Sirius for fear that they should disappear again, and for good reason. If the invisibility cloak had not been stuffed in James' robes, Sirius would have tried to pull the same stunt again. The professor seemed to know that Remus would come along if the other two did not have a choice and therefore didn't find it necessary to restrain him.

When they finally reached the classroom, Seresin let them in and closed the door behind them.

"You can't do anything to us." Sirius said quickly. "People will know. They saw us leave with you."

"Oh hush, boy." Seresin laughed. "I am not going to harm you."

"Obviously, you're not stupid." James said.

"I thank you for that assessment." Seresin chuckled. "Though I do want to talk to you." He looked between the three boys, who were all trying to appear braver than they felt. "I want to know exactly what you think you know about me."

There was silence.

It dragged on.

It seemed like the silence would go on forever.

Until there was a knock on the door.

"Professor!" There was a squeaky call from outside the door. "Professor! This is really important! Are you in there?"

Seresin sighed and walked over to the door. "Class starts in ten minutes, there is no reason for you to be in the classroom until then." He went over to the door and opened it, regardless.

"I know Professor but I saw you walk off with James, Sirius and Remus. Professor McGonagall wants to see them in her office immediately, Professor." The voice belonged to Peter and all three of the boys were shocked to see him standing there, barely cowering in the presence of the most intimidating teacher in the school.

"Well, I am talking to them right now, Professor McGonagall can wait."

"She said that it's awfully important." Peter said shaking his head. "I don't think we should keep her waiting."

Seresin huffed and looked over his shoulder at the three boys who didn't know whether to be worried about what McGonagall wanted that was so urgent or thankful that whatever it was, it was going to get them far away from Seresin.

"Very well." Seresin finally sighed. "But as soon as Professor McGonagall has finished talking to you, I want to see you three back here." He said sternly. "You are to stop nowhere and talk to no one."

"Yes okay." Sirius said, running up around Seresin and joining Peter in the corridor. "Come on, let's get going." James and Remus ran out of the room after him and they walked very quickly in the direction of McGonagall's office.

"Wait!" Peter called, running to catch up to them.

"What do you want?" James said harshly, turning around to face him.

"James!" Remus chided. "What is it Peter?"

"McGonagall doesn't really need you three." He said, trying not to let James' reaction sting him. He didn't let his feet shuffle and looked them in the eyes as he explained himself. "Savanna said that you three were acting weird about Seresin and then you all ran out of the Great Hall only to be accosted nabbed by him. I didn't think you'd want to be round him so I made a story up."

James glared at him but really couldn't find a reason to be upset with him, Remus had already made Sirius and him forgive Peter for what he said about Remus. James hadn't forgotten what Peter said, but it had happened a long time ago. Besides, just because he forgave Peter that didn't mean he had to like him now.

Sirius rolled his eyes and looked at Remus. "Thanks, you have no idea how grateful we are." The statement was true enough, but its sincerity was questioned when James huffed and Sirius let out a snort.

"It was nothing, though Seresin does frighten me."

"Peter, your shadow frightens you." Sirius sighed, looking up and down the hall as though he thought Seresin would just appear. "Why don't we take advantage of this opportunity and go talk to Dumbledore now?"

"Yeah, who knows when we'll have another chance, if Seresin's going to walk us to our classes." James said.

"Wait!" Peter said just as the other three had turned away from him. "What do you have to tell Professor Dumbledore."

"Don't worry about it, Peter." James said. "We'll tell you later." And then he and Sirius started down the corridor.

"We will." Remus promised. Peter grinned at him and then Remus jogged after Sirius and James.

oOoOo

"Did you know that the election for Minister of Magic is next week, Lily?" Mary asked, holding her copy of the Daily Prophet with one hand and a slice of toast in the other. "Why didn't I know that?"

"Do you usually read about politics?" Savanna asked, glancing over at the front page. Turnbull and Henderson were shaking hands and smiling for the camera.

"Well, no." Mary said. "But this is sort of important, right? Who is going to be in charge of the wizarding world and whatnot. I suppose I just thought I should pay more attention."

"You barely pay attention to lessons, Mary" Lily giggled. Mary dropped her paper to shoot Lily a look and then rolled her eyes.

"Schoolwork isn't nearly as important as who is going to be the Minister of Magic." She said, sticking her nose in the air and speaking in an airy voice. "You know," She said, her voice returning to normal. "Turnbull doesn't look to bad for having been just released from St. Mungo's. Well, he's been out for almost three weeks but he's not hiding behind his bodyguards or anything. That's what I would do."

"That's why you're never going to be in charge of anything." Lily said. "And besides, he can't really hide and win the election, can he?"

"I suppose not. But why would he still want the job?"

"Some people prefer power over safety." Savanna said.

"Or," Lily said, stretching out the word. "Maybe he thinks he can help stop all the murders that have been going on." Savanna shook her head and Mary laughed.

"If Turnbull was trying to help people, he wouldn't keep saying that everything is fine and nobody should worry." Savanna said. "And speaking of mayhem and murder, nothing has happened since somebody tried to kill him. I think that's a bit odd."

"It's only been a few weeks." Lily said.

"This isn't pleasant-happy-birthday-Lily conversation." Mary said. "Let's talk about something else."

"You started this conversation." Savanna sighed. "Why don't we just get to class now? We don't want to be late."

"Yeah, okay." Lily said standing up.

"You two just want to be in the front incase Seresin mutters some secret under his breath." Mary said, standing up but grabbing an extra piece of toast. "And that's not going to happen because Seresin probably doesn't have any secrets."

"How can you be friends with us and believe that?" Lily asked.

"So I've convinced you then?" Savanna asked with a smirk.

"I- you… Yes. You've convinced me." Lily resigned.

"I knew that I would." She laughed.

"Yes, well, let's get going then." Lily said.

When the girls reached the corridor, they were almost trampled by the Marauders.

"Is Professor Dumbledore still in there?" James asked.

"I don't know." Savanna shrugged. "Why?"

"We need to talk to him!" He cried, stepping around the girls and sticking his head into the Great Hall. "He's not there. That probably means he went back to his office."

"Why do you need to talk to the Headmaster?" Mary asked.

"It's about Seresin." Remus said. Sirius gave him an incredulous look and hit him on the back of the head.

"If Seresin asks, and I'm sure he will," Sirius said looking at the three girls. "Tell him the Professor McGonagall wanted to talk to us and that you don't know when we will be back in class."

"Why do you want us to lie for you?" Lily asked, putting her hands on her hips. "And to a Professor?"

"Can't we explain things later?" James asked, looking over his shoulder. "We don't really have a lot of time."

"You can't ask someone to do something for you and not tell them why!"

"Fine, then tell him you don't know what we're doing. That's the truth, isn't it?" James snapped. "Come on, we need to get up to the Dumbledore's before Seresin comes looking for us." And then the three boys were off again.

"What is going on with them today?" Savanna asked. "They are acting really odd."

"Maybe they played a prank in Seresin's classroom and he took it poorly." Mary suggested.

"I really doubt that." Lily said. "They seem like they are in trouble."

"Aren't they always in trouble?" Mary asked.

"It seems like real trouble this time." Lily said.

"They are rather on edge." Savanna agreed. "Come on, let's get to class."

The boys finally made it to the entrance of the Headmaster's office, red in the face and out of breath but they were there and Seresin was nowhere around. "Does anyone know the password?" Remus asked, looking up at the stone gargoyles.

"No." Sirius said. "James?"

"Nah, I haven't been in his office since first term." James said. "Can we just ask the gargoyles to move? It's an emergency."

"They are made of stone, James. I don't think they will understand that." Remus said. "We can't just wait here for Seresin to find us. What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, Remus." James said.

"Can I help you boys?" They all turned round and found Professor Dumbledore walking toward them with a bowl of porridge in his old hands. "I didn't mean to keep you waiting. They didn't have porridge out this morning so I made a quick trip down to the kitchen."

"We have to talk to you, Professor." Remus said, Sirius and James nodded.

"We do. We wanted to talk to you last night, but… we were- well we couldn't." Sirius said. "Can we go in your office?"

"Of course." Dumbledore said airily. "Chocolate frogs." This he said to the stone gargoyles who promptly moved out of the way revealing a spiral staircase. The boys followed their Headmaster up the stone steps and into his office. "I take it this is important." He said. "If all three of you find it necessary to miss your first lesson of the day." He walked over to his desk and placed his bowl on it before taking out his wand and conjuring up three chairs for the boys. When they were all seated, he sat down himself and took out a spoon from a desk drawer. "I hope you don't mind if I eat while we talk." They shook their heads. "Who would like to begin?"

"I will." James said. "And I know that what we say might result in detention, but…" He looked at the other two boys. "We still have to tell you and I think it would be best to tell you everything."

"Thank you for that." Dumbledore smiled at him. "I'm sure we won't need to resort to detention."

"Thank you, Professor but we did break the rules." James said, Dumbledore smiled at him again and then put a spoonful of porridge in his mouth. "Last night, Remus, Sirius and I went out after lights out to go exploring. For secret passages and stuff like that. We would go during the day, but then if we find them, they wouldn't be secret. Other people would know about them." James explained.

"Of course, that would ruin the fun." Dumbledore said, scooping another spoonful of porridge up. James smiled at the Headmaster and continued.

"Well we found a secret passage and followed it. It let out in the dungeons and we had just figured out where we were when we heard footsteps coming from the other end of the corridor," He hesitated here, only slightly. "We hid quickly, it lights out and we were afraid it was a Professor or Filch, and it was dark so it wasn't hard to hide." Dumbledore nodded. "It turned out to be a few Slytherins. We heard what they were saying and it was, well it was odd, Professor."

"What were they saying, James?" Dumbledore asked, he put his spoon down and leaned closer to him.

"Well, they were talking about the raiders." James said. "The one was saying that his dad told him that," He took a deep breath. "His dad told him that _He_ was going to kill Professor Seresin and his wife because Nigel, their son, hadn't succeeded in killing the Minister of Magic. Some man killed Nigel because of this and they said that Professor Seresin said some things to _Him_ that made _Him_ angry and that there was no way that Seresin was going to live. Sorry, Professor Seresin." James corrected himself and rushed to finish. "We didn't really know whether to believe what we heard, but we decided that we should tell you anyway, just so you know what was being said and so you could find out if it was true, and when we got to the second floor, well, Professor Seresin stopped us. He told us that whatever we think we know we didn't and that we were to speak of it to no one."

Dumbledore looked at the boys and then stood up and started pacing. "Are you certain that this is what you heard? This is a very serious accusation, boys."

"We know." Remus said. "But that's not the only thing that we have overheard this year. Tell him about Nigel coming here."

"Nigel Seresin was here?" Dumbledore asked looking surprised. "At Hogwarts?"

"Yes, he came with Minister Turnbull." Sirius said. "We were getting lectured by Professor McGonagall when the Minister walked into her office and asked her to show him how to get here," He motioned to the room. "And so she let us out and we were going to the hospital wing, because my tongue was all huge-"

"Sirius." Remus sighed.

"Right." He bit his lip. "We were walking down the corridor when Nigel came running up to us. He was pretty flustered and said he was late for a meeting with you. So we told him that we would show him how to get here, after he told us that he was the Minister's assistant."

"Yes, so I dropped Sirius off at the hospital wing, I had to go in to tell Madam Pomfrey what happened and told him that it would only take a second and to wait for me. And when I got back, he was gone." James said. "And then I spotted him and he was running away from me. I thought it was odd, but… I dunno, we sort of just forgot about it."

"Well, sort of." Remus said. "I was with Frank when we heard Professor Seresin and Nigel arguing in an old classroom later that same day." Dumbledore was completely enraptured by everything that they were saying and Remus had to avert his eyes to continue talking. "Seresin was saying something about how _He_ told him that he wasn't allowed to come anywhere near the school and that Nigel was going to have to leave and tell the Minister that he couldn't make the meeting."

There was a moment of silence after Remus finished his story and then Dumbledore sighed.

"When was this?"

"A week or two before Christmas Holiday." James said.

"And you believe Nigel to be dead?"

"That's what we heard." Sirius nodded.

"I am glad you decided to tell me this." Dumbledore said, sitting back down and picking up his spoon. "But I am going to have to ask you to treat this as nothing more than gossip but please do not spread it around. I will talk to Professor Seresin."

"That's it?" Sirius asked.

"What did you expect to happen, Sirius?"

"We come in here and tell you that one of our teachers is a raider and you're just going to talk to him?" James tried to explain Sirius shock more in depth.

"He keeps trying to corner us." Remus added. "What are we supposed to do? Just let him?"

"We ran from him the first time, but he actually grabbed my and James' shoulders this time." Sirius said.

"Everything will be fine, boys." Dumbledore said, with a small smile. "But why don't you go up to your common room for the remainder of Professor Seresin's class. I will take care of it." When the three boys continued to look dumbfounded, he elaborated. "You don't really expect me to tell you three exactly what I intend to do with the information you just gave me, do you?"

Remus said, "Of course not, Professor." At the same time James and Sirius said, "Yes we do!" Dumbledore chuckled at them.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you." He stood up. "Though I do have one more question for you. Where did that secret tunnel start?"

The boys blinked a few times and Sirius answered him. "The seventh floor, by that tapestry of some wizard trying to teach trolls ballet. Why?"

"I don't believe I have found that one yet. Did you find the come and go room while you were there?"

"The what?" James asked, looking rather confused.

"I suppose not." He winked at James and then waved his hands. "I don't mean to be rude but I have to ask you to be on your way. I have a meeting in a few minutes and I think it best for you three to make yourselves scarce before it takes place."

"And you'll talk to Professor Seresin for us?" Remus asked.

"Yes, Remus. I want all of you to feel safe in these walls. I will talk to him and sort this whole thing out."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Yeah, thanks." Sirius muttered.

oOoOo

"Are they really going to skip the whole class?" Lily muttered, glancing back over her shoulder to see if the Marauders had entered the room yet.

"They were going to talk to Dumbledore," Savanna said. "Who knows how long that will take. And this class is really a let down. I though Seresin would at least mention the fact that he hasn't been here."

"I told you that he wasn't going to say anything." Lily said, looking behind her again. "You're the one that let me get all excited. I was being perfectly sensible about this situation."

"I don't really like thirteen year old Lily." Mary sighed pushing her head up off the desk with her palm. "I'm about to fall asleep. Were all of his lectures this boring?"

"Lily Evans." Savanna said. "You thought he was going to say something, don't try and be all high and mighty. You rushed down here with the rest of us."

"Yes, but I didn't think that this lesson was going to be any different than the others until you poisoned my mind."

"Hello," Mary said. "Didn't you two hear me? This lesson is different. It's completely dry. Plus, he's looking at the door more than Lily is." Lily, who was currently looking back at the door, faced forward and refused to meet Mary's gaze. "Do you really care if they come to class or not, Lily?"

"Not really." She said.

"You have been awful chummy with them lately." Savanna said, raising her eyebrows.

"I have not." Lily said. "I talked to them while I was in detention. That really doesn't gain them any points. I was in detention because of James and then he got himself detention as well."

"You didn't yell at him all this week when he sat with us in the Great Hall." Mary said.

"So, what do I care where he sits? Or if he decides to show up to class? I don't."

"Okay." Savanna said, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "Seresin is acting sort of strange though, isn't he? He hasn't even noticed that we are talking." She looked up at the professor. "And we are in the front row."

"It is strange." Mary agreed.

"And we are being rather rude." Lily said, pulling her previously discarded notes closer to her and picked up her quill.

"Lily?" She looked up and found Seresin standing in front of her with both of his hands palm down on the corners of her desk. "Do you know where James, Sirius and Remus are?" Lily stared up at him, Sirius's voice echoed in her head. '_Tell him the Professor McGonagall wanted to talk to us_.'

"I," She looked over at Savanna who was giving her a look that clearly said that she had better not tell Seresin the truth. "I don't know, Professor. I haven't seen them since breakfast."

"They are with Professor McGonagall." Mary said, sitting up straighter. "Something about them letting off dung bombs in the dungeon last night. It's probably the fourth time this month." It was a safe lie because Seresin hadn't been here all month and Lily was actually quite proud of Mary for coming up with it so quickly.

"Oh." Seresin said, his mouth staying frozen in the little 'o' shape. Then he relaxed. His brow stopped being crinkled, his hands and jaw unclenched and he smiled at the class. "I'm sorry this has been such a boring lesson. I promise the next one will be far more interesting. I need to take care of something, class dismissed."

"But there's still thirty minutes left of class, Professor." Lily said, looking at her wrist watch. Savanna elbowed her.

"I know that, Lily." Seresin said, smiling at her. Then he got up and left the classroom before any of the students had even packed up their bags.

"That was strange." Savanna said. "Three galleons says he's going to McGonagall's office."

"Not going to take you up on that bet." Mary said. "I think you were right about them being in actual trouble, Lily."

"Well, what is going to happen when he gets to her office and Professor McGonagall doesn't have a clue what he's talking about?" Savanna asked.

"Nothing good." Mary shrugged.

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><p><strong>AN: <em>Reviews<em> are awesome, like quick updates... only they aren't for you. They are for me. The _reviews_ not the updates. The updates are for you. We can trade you know. You give me _reviews_ and I will give you a chapter. Sound fair? Yep, okay. I know. I'm weird. I don't even know if that was completely coherent. It is really hot in my house. I'm going to go chill in my basement now. **


	24. Chapter TwentyFour: Snake in the Pitch

**AN: So I've been MIA for a whole month and my reasons probably aren't going to matter to you, but I am going to tell you anyway. I was participating in Julnowrimo. It's something that I've done every summer for the last three years. It's were I write a 50,000 word novel in just one month. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, it is for the most part, it just sucks up all of my time, and that's why I had to put this story on the back burner for the month. Though I do have this chapter ready for you today. I wrote this during the last month and I could have put it up a while ago, but I don't really like this chapter, it gave me much grief, but I think I've figured out the problem and I've (for the most part) fixed it. **

**So, I hope you enjoy, and understand that I haven't abandoned you, or this story. **

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Four: A Snake in the Pitch<strong>

The common room was mostly empty, aside from a few older students who didn't have class this morning. Sirius, James and Remus were able to nab the big couch in front of the fire, not that they really cared about that small victory at the moment.

They had just arrived at the Gryffindor tower after explaining to Professor Dumbledore what had happened with Professor Seresin the night before. He had excused them from the remainder of Professor Seresin's class and hadn't told them much of what he had planned to do with what they told him. This had left them all wondering the same thing.

"What do you think is going to happen?" James asked. He was pacing again, his hand stuck in his hair and a thoughtful expression on his face. "Do you think that he's going to fire him?" He sounded hopeful.

"I don't see how he can not fire him. I mean, he's a raider." Sirius said.

"There's no proof." Remus said, shaking his head. "We only heard a few Slytherins say that, and when have we ever listened to them?"

"Well, Seresin has to be up to something, right?" James said. "And it's different this time. The Slytherins are slimmy gits, and because of that I think we can count on them to know what the raiders are doing. Half of them want to become them anyway."

"You don't know that." Remus said.

"No? Malfoy, Macnair and Lestrange, did they sound like they were against it?" Sirius asked. "Did they sound like they were disappointed that their fathers were raiders? Do you think that they are going to say 'no' when they're asked if they want to help?" Remus looked at Sirius carefully.

"I just meant that you shouldn't judge them all, just because they are in Slytherin. That doesn't make them bad people." Sirius and James looked at each other and started laughing. "I mean it. What about Daniel Baker? Is he an awful person?" Sirius snorted.

"That doesn't count." He said. "He was an awful person. If he was sorted _now_, he wouldn't be in Slytherin."

"What about your brother?" Remus asked. "Is he an awful person?" Remus seemed sure that he had Sirius now. Sirius sighed and shook his head.

"Not yet."

Before Remus could question Sirius's reply, the porthole opened and most of the seconded years spilled into the common room. The boys exchanged looks as Mary and Savanna made their way towards them. Lily was following behind them slowly.

"Well, I don't know why still," Mary started. "But I lied for you boys and told Professor Seresin that you were with Professor McGonagall."

"Thank you." Sirius said.

"Don't thank me yet." Mary said. "As soon as I told him, he dismissed class and ran out of the room."

"Why?" Remus asked. "He already knew that we were with McGonagall. Did you tell him why Professor McGonagall wanted to see us?"

"I made something up." Mary shrugged.

"She said that you let of dung bombs in the dungeon last night." Lily said from behind Savanna. "Why did she have to lie for you?"

"This isn't good, is it?" Sirius asked, looking over at James.

"He thinks that Professor McGonagall knows that we were in the dungeons last night." James said. "Of course that's not good."

"Wait." Mary said, looking between James and Sirius. "Were you in the dungeons last night?"

"That's neither here nor there." James said, waving his hand at her dismissively. "What are we going to do?"

"I think we should move to South American and change our names." Sirius said. "At least then we will live."

"Are you in real trouble?" Lily asked. She was frustrated with them, but she could also tell that something was actually wrong. Otherwise James would have told her what was going on by now. "Do you need help?"

"We've already talked to Professor Dumbledore." James said. "We need a plan."

"Professor Dumbledore said that he would take care of it." Remus said. "Now would you two just sit down and relax. We don't know that Seresin is even planning anything, let's just get through the rest of today, yes?" Sirius scoffed. "And let Professor Dumbledore handle it."

James looked up at Remus. "Why do you have to be sensible?" He asked.

"It's a curse." Remus said shaking his head. "Now sit."

"Alright." Sirius sighed, plopping down on the couch and pressing his hand on his forehead. "This is just one big mess."

"We are only going to ask nicely one more time." Mary said, sitting down beside Sirius. "What's going on?"

"It's really none of your business." James said, sitting in an armchair next to the couch.

"What?" Mary asked, slightly surprised.

"It doesn't concern you." He reiterated.

"Just tell us what's going on, Potter." Lily said, officially losing her patients with their cryptic conversations and half stories. "You can't act all jittery and nervous all morning and tell us to lie for you, act all jitter some more and then just expect us to let you be."

"I don't really care what you do but we aren't going to tell you anything." James said, looking at the floor.

"Really?" Savanna asked.

"We've been exchanging theories all week!" Lily exclaimed. "And you found out something about Professor Seresin last night, correct? And you aren't going to tell me? You pulled me into this crazy mess in the first place!"

"Um… Actually if I remember correctly," James said pretending to look thoughtful. "You told me that Savanna was the one who 'pulled you into this crazy mess.'"

"Besides Lily," Sirius said. "You aren't even in a mess, crazy or otherwise. We are in a mess." He motioned the three Marauders. "If we told you, then you'd be in a mess."

"That doesn't even make sense." Mary said, crossing her arms.

"It's completely ridiculous." Savanna agreed.

"We are really just looking out for you." James said with a grin.

"Fine." Lily huffed. She gave James a glare and then turned around and stormed up the stairs to the girl's dormitory.

"What's wrong with her?" Sirius asked.

Savanna and Mary looked at each other and sighed. "I think that she is disappointed." Savanna said. "She was starting to think that you two weren't that bad."

"We aren't that bad." James said. "We _really_ can't tell you what's going on. Professor Dumbledore told us not too."

"Well," Mary sighed. "That's not what you told her, is it?"

"You two can tell her." James said.

"I don't think she would care." Savanna said. "We'll just be going now." They turned and started for the stairs, but Mary turned around and bit her lip.

"She would probably hate me for telling you this but-."

"She would hate you." Savanna said, grabbing Mary by the arm and pulling her towards the stairs. "And she would hate me for letting you tell them."

"What?" James asked standing up. "Now you have to tell me."

"Actually we don't." Savanna said. Then she smirked at him and added. "I'm really just looking out for you." Then she pulled Mary up the stairs. James laughed appreciatively and then sat back down.

"I've got Quidditch practice today." He said. Sirius laughed at him.

"You can't even go a few hours without thinking of Quidditch, can you?"

"Why would I want to?" James asked. "Besides I need to relax. Today has been a very stressful day."

"Quidditch is relaxing to you?" Remus laughed. "Are you sure we're talking about the same sport?"

"It's relaxing, Remus." James said. "Trust me."

oOoOo

"WOULD YOU STOP DROPPING THE BLOODY QUAFFLE?" Emery yelled from the ground. They were practicing something new and Cleo, who was usually on top of things, kept forgetting which way she was supposed to dive. As a result, Rodger would go to throw her the Quaffle and she wouldn't be there to catch it.

"I'm sorry, Emery." Cleo said. Her head was hung in defeat. The first time she went the wrong way, she laughed about it and asked if they could try it again. The second time her cheeks turned red and she mumbled out an apology. The third time she didn't say anything and she looked angry. After the eighth time she had just given up.

"I DON'T WANT YOUR APOLOGIES!" Emery yelled. Then she must have noticed Cleo's lip quivering because she stopped yelling. "I just want you to go to the right. Dive to the right and catch the Quaffle."

"I know! I know! I'm supposed to go to the right. I just keep going to the left."

"Let's take a break, everyone." Emery called and flew over to Cleo. The two of them started talking in hushed voices and everyone else flew down to the ground.

"What's going on with her?" Nicolas, one of the beaters asked. "She's playing worse than the reserves."

"Hey!" Adam McKinnon said, shoving Nicolas. "I am not that bad. I'm going to make the team next year."

"Yes. When Cleo is gone." James said with a laugh.

"She's just having a rough day. Leave it be." Seth said, answering Nicolas's question.

"She is playing really poorly." Adam said.

"I said leave it be, McKinnon." Seth said.

"Sorry."

"Hey look." Rodger said, pointing to the stands. "Is that Professor Seresin."

"You have got to be kidding me." James said, running his hand through his hair.

"What?" Seth asked. "Why is there a Professor here."

"Just ignore him." James said, his palms were starting to sweat. Professor Dumbledore had told him that he was going to take care of it. Why was her here? Did Professor Dumbledore even talk to him yet, was he still in that meeting that he had mentioned? No, that was hours ago. He had to have talked to him by now?

"Back in the air, everyone!" Emery called.

"Looks like Cleo's done for the day." Rodger said to James as they flew back to their positions.

"McKinnon, you take Downing's spot."

"Alright!" Adam called, flying under Rodger to get in position.

"On my count now." Emery yelled. "One, two, three!" James tossed the Quaffle over to Rodger who flew down field. Adam dived, to the right, and Rodger tossed the Quaffle over his shoulder without looking. Adam caught the toss easily and flew a ways down the field before throwing the ball over to where James was supposed to be. He wasn't there though and the Quaffle fell to the ground yet again. "POTTER!"

"I'm sorry!" He shouted. "I'm sorry!"

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" She flew closer to him. "Can't we just have a normal practice please? Why is everybody not where they're supposed to be?"

"I'm sorry." James said, looking over his shoulder at Professor Seresin. "It won't happen again." The next time they tried it, James caught the ball and threw it through the hoop. Emery blew her whistle and called everybody down to the ground.

"I don't understand what's going on, but we need to pull it together. Our game against Slytherin is in less than a month. We can't be dropping the Quaffle and going the wrong direction." She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists. "We _need_ to beat them. Do you understand me? We need to beat them."

"Well, we're feeling the same way." Seth said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We always feel that way when we play the Slytherins."

"I'll talk to you later." Emery said, shaking her head. "Let's get back in the air. And James?"

"Yes, captain?"

"Quit looking at Professor Seresin. He's here, now just forget about it."

"Yeah, right. Sorry." James said, looking once more over at the Defense teacher.

"Potter!" Emery yelled.

"I know." James flung his leg over his broom and flew up into the air.

For the rest of practice, James tried to ignore the fact that the one teacher he was honestly afraid of was watching him. He didn't fly to the wrong place any more but he didn't play as well as he normally did. It was also the first practice that James didn't enjoy. He spent the whole time being nervous and wishing it was over so that he could get away from Professor Seresin rather than actually being focused on the game.

"We'll just say this practice was," Emery sighed. "Well, it wasn't completely horrible. Let's just go change and head up for dinner."

"Sounds like a plan." Richard said, rubbing his stomach. "I could eat."

"Please stop talking." Emery sighed, rubbing her hand against her forehead. "My head hurts and I don't like any of you at the moment."

They watched in silence as their captain stalked off. "We deserved that." Seth said. "Well," He looked at James. "Some of us deserved it."

"It's not really _my_ fault." James said to the ground. "You all know that I am a good player, I was just having an off day."

James went back to the changing room, took a quick shower and put his school robes back on. He was still wondering what Professor Seresin was doing in the stands during practice, but he really didn't want to think about it too much. He was probably here because he was a Quidditch fan and just enjoyed watching practice every now and again. The fact that he had never shown up to a previous practice and that he had cornered James once already this morning didn't escape him, but he was trying not to think about it.

He was walking out of the changing room when he felt his arms being yanked back into the room and he was pushed up against the wall. He looked around but couldn't see what was grabbing him.

"Who's doing that?" He asked, trying to get his arms away from the invisible force holding him back.

"James!" Sirius said, stepping out from under the invisibility cloak. "We can't go out there right now."

"Yes we can." Remus said, pulling the cloak off of him.

"How do you keep getting my cloak?" James asked.

"It was in your trunk." Sirius said. "And I mean he couldn't go out there, not without the cloak."

"Is Seresin still out there?" James asked.

"He was out there during the whole practice."

"I know, that's why I was a complete bumble out there today."

"Well, let's go back up to the castle under the cloak." Remus said. The boys put the cloak over them and started to shuffle out of the changing room.

oOoOo

Severus was waiting for Lily at the back of the library. He had his potions book out on the table and was attempting to at least start the assignment that Professor Slughorn had given them, but he found it rather hard to focus on potions.

Lily was late. And not just a few minutes late. She was now fifteen minutes late. He was going to have a sore neck if he kept looking over his shoulder to see if she was walking through the door, but he couldn't help it. Lily was never late. She was always on time, if not early.

He tapped his quill impatiently, now completely giving up on doing any more of his potions essay. Did she expect him to wait here for her all day?

"I am so sorry, Sev." She said sliding into the seat next to him. "I really didn't think that it was going to take that long." She put her book bag down and pulled out her potions text book as well. "Are we starting with Slughorn's essay then?" He nodded.

"What were you doing?" He asked. She looked up at him and quickly looked away again waving her hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about it." She said.

"You were almost twenty minutes late."

"I said I was sorry."

"What were you doing?"

"It's embarrassing." She said, her cheeks turning red. Severus didn't really know how to respond to an embarrassed Lily. Lily was never embarrassed. He looked at her oddly and she relented. "Alright," She sighed. "I went up to my dorm after lessons and the girls had thrown me a mini-birthday party. They had a cake and presents. It was embarrassing." Severus nodded. He understood now. Lily didn't like it when everyone's attention was focused on her.

"That was nice of them." He smiled.

"I know, it's just- well, they shouldn't have gone to so much trouble."

"Would know be a bad time to give you my gift then?" She rolled her eyes.

"I told you that you didn't have to get me anything."

"I know you told me that, but I wanted to." He reached into his book bag and pulled out a small package. "It's not much." He said, handing it to her. She took it and shook her head.

"You still didn't have to get me anything."

"It's your birthday, just accept the gift." Lily, still shaking her head, took the gift and unwrapped it. It was a book of charms. Lily smiled at it.

"Charms is my favorite subject." She said, looking up at him.

"I know." He said. "That's why I got it for you. These are all fun charms. Cheering charms, charms that turn your eyebrows different colors. It's nothing spectacular, but I thought you would appreciate it."

"It's wonderful." She said, flipping open the cover and looking through the list of charms in the index.

"We should get started on homework now." He said after a few moments.

"Yeah." She agreed, putting the book aside. "Probably."

oOoOo

Dumbledore was pacing in his office. With his hands clasped together behind his back, and his chin resting on his chin, he walked the length of the room again and again. His conversation with Professor Seresin had not gone exactly how he planned. When James, Sirius and Remus came to him with their tale, he had expected the Professor to come in with a plausible explanation for why the boys felt as though he had a personal vendetta against them and they would all be on their merry way. Except Seresin's side of the story seemed to make more holes than it filled.

According to the boys, Seresin had a son, Nigel, who worked in the ministry as the Minister's assistant. When he asked Seresin about it, he told Dumbledore that he didn't have any children.

The boys had told him that Seresin had found them out in the corridors very late at night, but Seresin said that he had been in his chambers the whole night, trying to rest.

Dumbledore hadn't bothered bringing up the raiders.

Something was going on with his defense against the dark arts teacher and he wasn't quite sure what it was.

But as he paced back and forth across his study, he tried to piece together what he already knew.

Nigel was the name of the Ministers assistant, and he hadn't been heard from since the attack on the Minister early January. He had no idea what the lads last name was, though James, Sirius and Remus seemed to believe him to be Professor Seresin's son.

Seresin had asked for time off after the holidays to take care of some family issues, but he hadn't specified what those family issues were.

Months ago, when the Minister had come to visit before the holidays, Minister Turnbull had said that his assistant should be along any moment, and they never showed up. If what Remus had reported was true, then it had been Seresin's intervention that prevented Nigel from attending that meeting.

Those were the facts. Seresin had taken a few weeks off after the holidays, the Minister thought that his assistant was coming to the meeting with him and Nigel had been out of sight all month. Which was strange now that Dumbledore thought about it. It wasn't as thought the Minister's assistant was normally seen very often, but Nigel had walked in on the Minister's unconscious body. He had seen something like that and was only in the papers once? That didn't seem right.

Then there was the fact that the boys seemed to think the Professor Seresin was after them, trying to hunt them down and get them to keep quiet.

He supposed he was going to have to keep a closer eye on that particular professor and maybe he'd have a chat with some older students.

oOoOo

Regulus's bag was much heavier than usual. The strap was digging into his shoulder and making him walk slightly crooked. He was on his way to one of the empty classrooms on the fourth floor to meet up with Severus, Evan and Rabastan. The others would be along later, but Rabastan had asked a few of them to meet up earlier for reasons unknown to Regulus.

At their first official meeting, Rabastan had given Regulus the task of stealing books from the restricted section of the library. That was the reason his bag was so heavy right now. He hadn't wanted to steal from the library, so he had been putting it off. But when Rabastan said that they were going to be meeting again, he had to get some books.

He had waited in the library all afternoon, waiting for Madam Pince to use the restroom or go eat lunch and finally he got his chance at 6:18, just twelve minutes before he was supposed to meet the others.

It was 6:35 when he left the library, but he wasn't that concerned about being late. He didn't think that they were actually going to do anything worth his while with only the four of them there.

When he reached the door, he didn't bother knocking. He pushed the handle and swung the door in. The three boys in the room all jumped up out of their seats and pointed their wands at him. Regulus shook his head and wondered how he had got sucked into this mess in the first place.

"Would you three put your wands away? Who did you think was going to walk through the door?" He asked, dropping his bag on the nearest desk.

"Do you have the books?" Rabastan asked, still holding his wand though now at his side.

"No." Regulus said. "I have a house elf in my bag, that's why it's all lumpy like that." Rabastan clenched his fists and walked over to the bag. He dumped out the contents and inspected the books, probably hoping to find something wrong with the titles. Unfortunately, all of the books were what Rabastan had asked for. They were dark magic spell books. _Hexes and jinxes for the Unhinged_, lay on the top.

"You're late." He said, scooping up a few of the books and walking back over to the other side of the room.

"You try carrying that bag up and down staircases." Regulus said, not really wanting them to know that he had only just been to the library.

"You should have left earlier." Severus sneered. "You kept us waiting."

"I'm ever so sorry." Regulus said. "Now, what are we here for?"

"We need to go through these books and pick out the spells that we want everyone to know." Rabastan said, handing a book to Evan and Severus. "But your help is neither needed, nor is it wanted. So you can go now." Regulus laughed a bit and nodded.

"Alright, I guess I'll see you three later." He said, picking up his now empty bag and walking towards the door.

"If you don't start behaving," Rabastan said as he was walking out the door. "Then I'll have them practice these spells on you."

"Keep threatening me, Rabastan." Regulus chuckled. "I dare you."

oOoOo

The next morning at breakfast Mary, with her new interest in the daily happenings in the wizarding world, was quick to grab Lily's copy of the Daily Prophet while she was paying her owl.

"Mary." Lily sighed. "You could just get your own paper, then you wouldn't have to steal mine."

"Lily, why would I want to do that when I can read y- Merlin." She said softly.

"What is it?" Lily asked, trying to grab at her paper.

"Lily, stop that." Mary said, pushing her hands away.

"It's my paper, Mary. What happened?"

"Minister Turnbull is dead."

"What Happened?" Savanna pulled down the paper so that it was lying flat on the table. "And this means that Henderson is going to win the elections next week by default."

"The Minister didn't just die, Savanna." Mary said. "He was murdered."

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><p><strong>AN: I know I said I didn't like this chapter, but I do love the ending. It was going to end with Reg saying, "I dare you." But I started writing the next chapter and realized that there were a few loose ends that needed to be tied up in this chapter regarding the election. <strong>

**Any who, I would love some feed back and I want you to know that this month, I am focusing on this story. Promise. :)**


	25. Chapter TwentyFive: Rabastan's Revenge

**AN:... I have no excuse. I am an awful updater. **

**Stuff you should know because I updated about a billion years ago: Regulus was a bit of a smart mouth/rebel to Rabastan who thinks that he is in-charge of all the little kids. Cleo Downing has been truly awful at Quidditch during practice and Turnbul died, so Xavier Henderson is the new Minister of Magic by default. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Five: Rabastan's Revenge <strong>

February came over the castle like a bad cold. The wind whipped and whistled past the students traveling across the grounds and it appeared as though it was never going to stop snowing. This left everyone feeling completely miserable and, by the middle of the month, everyone seemed to be in a bad mood. And when the owls came and delivered everyone's morning Prophet, what they saw did nothing to lift their mood.

**14 People Have Gone Missing**

** Over the last month, many people have been wondering why the attacks have stopped. Everything seemed quiet and calm but people have been slipping away in the night, undetected by the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. How, you may ask, can 14 people slip out of sight under the radar? The answer is simple. All of these people are Muggle-born witches and wizards who chose to live their lives in the muggle world. **

** The list of missing persons is as follows: **

**Phyllis Challenor**

**Harriet and Gordon Bishop**

**Eileen Downing**

**Barrington Parfitt**

**Alan and Gail Gecks**

**Esther Doubleday **

**Daphne, Belinda and Humphrey Ducker **

**Joyce Camry**

**Broderick Bode**

**Jane Rowle**

**The only thing these victims have in common is their blood status. Otherwise, they are as different as night and day, ranging in age, ethnicity, location and appearance. This is why officials believe that this was the work of the raiders. **

**If anyone has any information as to the whereabouts of these 14 people, Elizabeth Potter, Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad, and Alastair Moody, Head of the Auror Department, ask that you write to either of them directly or come to the Ministry and talk with them in person. The Ministry is doing everything they can to make sure that these 14 people return to their homes safely and any help is appreciated. **

"Joyce Camry?" Sirius said, putting the paper down after reading through the article. "She's missing?" Joyce had been a chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team last year. The boys hadn't really known her personally, but they had seen her quite a bit.

"That's what it says." James sighed. "And Eileen Downing is Cleo's mum. That's probably why she's been so off at Quidditch practices lately. I don't know why she didn't tell any of us."

Remus took the paper and pointed at another name. "Broderick went here last year. He was a Hufflepuff."

"I think I remember him." Peter squeaked. He was sitting next to Remus and still adjusting to spending time with the Marauders again. Remus had asked Peter to join them during meals two weeks ago and much to Remus's surprise, James and Sirius were actually being nice.

"Yeah?" Sirius asked, looking at the name again. "He was a rather short bloke, wasn't he?"

"Yes." Peter said.

"Look at this article." James said, pointing to a smaller article that was at the bottom of the second page.

**Minister Pushes for New Legislation **

**Having only taken office less than a week ago, the new Minister of Magic is ready to start with the changes he promised during the campaign. The first new legislation that is going before the Wizengamot later today details a new policy on what magical law enforcers would do upon entering a location where raiders are thought to be present. What the policy is exactly is unknown as of now, but we expect to gather more information after the Wizengamot vote on the legislation. **

"Is this a joke?" James asked no one in particular. "They have got to be joking."

"It doesn't sound like a bad thing, James." Remus said. "At least Henderson is doing something about the raiders, Turnbull just sat back and pretended that they didn't exist."

"And then they killed him." Sirius added.

"I know, it looks good." James said, looking through the rest of the paper for anything else about the policy or the Minister.

"Then what's wrong?" Sirius asked.

"Nothing."

"Good morning boys." Peter was the only one who jumped, the other three had become used to Professor Seresin's morning greeting.

"Good morning, Professor." They replied.

"I hope you are enjoying your breakfasts."

"It's delicious." Remus said, nodding in the Professor's direction. Seresin nodded and then made his way to the staff table. James sighed.

"I've been thinking," He said. "Maybe Dumbledore couldn't do anything because he didn't have any proof."

"Are you suggesting we get proof?" Remus asked. "Because the who-know-what is coming up and I can't be running around all night."

"No," James said. "I just think that I should write my mum a letter. That's all."

"James," Remus warned. "That's a big accusation. If we're wrong-"

"I wouldn't write to Liza Potter, head of the MLES, I would write to my mum."

"If your mum thought you were in danger, she would-" James cut Remus off again.

"She could get us the information we need." James said. "If Seresin really is involved with the raiders, she could find out." James could see the wheels in Remus's head turning.

"Fine. But you can't tell her that we think he's after us."

"I don't really think that anymore." Sirius said. "I mean, we've been running out of his class the minute the bell rings, and making sure that we have the cloak on us as all time for almost three weeks, and he hasn't tried anything."

"He's just waiting for the right time." James said. "And I won't tell her all the details, only enough to make sure she believes me."

"As long as you're writing to her, could you ask her to send some chocolate." Sirius asked.

"His mum doesn't need to get me chocolate." Remus said.

"Wha- Oh yeah. Remus likes to eat it-" Sirius laughed. "I'm sorry Remus, but I was asking for myself."

"You are a git." James said.

"But you'll ask her?"

"Sure."

oOoOo

Regulus hadn't been asked to come to another secret meeting since he had been asked to leave the last one and he was starting to wonder whether he should be nervous about that or not. When he walked into Potions and saw Rabastan Lestrange talking to the potions master, he decided that he should have been a bit more worried than he had been.

"I didn't want to have to tell you, Professor, but he has to be stopped."

"I appreciate your concern, Rabastan."

Regulus froze in the doorway of the potions classroom and clenched his fists. Rabastan was a year older than Regulus, what was he doing in his potions class?

"He's my friend, so I don't want him to get into too much trouble." Rabastan went on. "But if he doesn't stop now, who knows what he'll be stealing in the future."

"You can leave these books here. I'll make sure that they get back where they belong."

"Thank you, Professor."

"It's no trouble. Let me write you a note to excuse you for being late."

Regulus couldn't believe what he was hearing. Rabastan had told him to steal the books and now he was turning him in for doing so. He walked into class, still clenching his fists.

"Regulus!" Rabastan said, looking down at the ground and doing a great job appearing ashamed.

"It's alright, lad." Professor Slughorn said. "Off to class now." He handed him a note and Rabastan ran out the door. Regulus tried to appear nonchalant and took his usual seat in the middle of the classroom. "Regulus, I actually need to talk to you." He said.

Regulus put his bag down on the desk and walked up to Professor Slughorn.

"It's come to my attention that you've been visiting the restricted section of the library lately." He said. "Without permission."

"Professor-"

"Now I always encourage learning," Professor Slughorn said, raising his voice slightly. "But stealing books from the library is not the way to do this. And why would you even want these books anyway." The professor looked down at the books with disgust. "There are plenty of books that are _not _in the restricted section that you can read whenever you please."

"But Professor-"

"No buts, Regulus. You are an exceptionally bright student, and I hate to punish you but I'm afraid that I have to give you detention. This Friday and Saturday at seven."

"Yes, Professor." Regulus said. It was amazing, he thought as he walked back to his seat, how Professor Slughorn just believed Rabastan and didn't even give Regulus a chance to explain himself. He knew that the potions master picked favorites, and that Rabastan was one of them, but it seemed really unfair.

oOoOo

Lily was sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall with Mary and Savanna. Her stomach was hurting and lunch just didn't seem appealing.

Her upset stomach didn't really cause her much concern, though she was really hoping that it was nothing. She used her time to write her sister a letter instead of eating.

"So Petunia's talking to you again?" Savanna asked, looking at the heading of Lily's letter. "I mean, she's not completely ignoring you anymore?"

"She was never completely ignoring me." Lily said, trying to defend her sister. "We simply had a falling out."

"She didn't write you at all last year." Mary said. "You wrote about a hundred letters and she didn't return a single one."

"She didn't even send you a Christmas present. Or a birthday present." Savanna said. Lily looked between her two friends and sighed. How come they couldn't remember whether it was Wanda the Weird or Herbert the Horrible who had caused the Ministry to issue the Statute of Secrecy, but they had no problem recalling every detail of her life?

"I don't really want to talk about this." Lily sighed. "She's my sister and I want to write to her." She dipped her quill in her ink well and hovered it over the paper. "Besides, she's making an effort this year."

"If you say so." Mary said, sharing a look with Savanna.

"Anyway," Savanna said. "Have you talked with James or Sirius lately?"

"No." Lily snapped. "Why would I talk to them?" She didn't notice a drop of ink slip off her quill and onto the parchment.

"You used to talk to them." Mary pointed out.

"Well, I don't talk to them."

"Okay." Savanna said. "I was just wondering because they don't seem to be as skittish as they were."

"It's been almost a month." Lily said. "I hope that whatever was bothering them isn't anymore."

"I guess."

"You could ask them about it." Mary said, looking at Savanna. "Or we both could."

"We could tell Alice to." Savanna said.

"Do not use a first year to do things you don't want to."

"Lily," Mary laughed. "It's not like Alice is some random first year. We _are_ her friends."

"And we wouldn't force her to do it." Savanna said. "We would just ask her to do it."

"Look!" Mary said. "There she is! Alice, come over here!"

"Don't Alice." Lily warned. "You really don't want to."

"What is it?" Alice asked, as she skipped over to the girls and ignored Lily's warning. Lily groaned and laid her head on top of her letter.

"Would you be a dear and go ask James, Sirius and Remus what was bothering them last month?" Savanna asked, giving Alice her most persuasive puppy-dog face.

"Alright." Alice said. "But I don't know why they would tell me anything. I don't normally talk to them."

"It's okay We're just too lazy to ask them ourselves. We really want to know why it's not bothering them anymore." Mary said. Lily picked her head up and watched Alice walk over to the other end of the table, where the Marauders were sitting. She mentally shook herself when she realized that she had used their nickname.

"Can we just go to class please?" Lily asked.

"You haven't eaten anything yet." Mary said.

"And you haven't written much of your letter either."

"I'll finish it later." Lily said.

"Are you alright, Lily?"

"Yes. I have a stomach ache, but I'm fine." She turned back towards her friends. "You don't have to come with me, but I'm going to class."

"Wait, Lily." Mary said.

"Are you coming?" She asked.

"Yes." Savanna said. "But Lily-"

"What?"

"You have ink on your face." Mary said, leaning over and wiping a spot on Lily's cheek. "It must have happened while you were lying on your letter. You look sort of silly. It's shaped sort of like a goblin." Lily clutched her stomach and winced.

"Are you alright, Lily?" Savanna asked, putting a hand on Lily's shoulder.

"Maybe we should take you to Madam Pomfrey." Mary said making a face. "You're not going to get sick, are you?"

"Mary." Savanna said. "Lily, are you alright?"

"I'm alright, I don't want to miss transfiguration."

"Lily," Savanna picked up her book bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Are you sure that you're alright to go to class?"

"I'm s-" She clutched her stomach again and let out a groan.

"They wouldn't tell me anything." Alice said, walking back up to the girls. "I didn't tell them that- What's wrong with Lily?"

"Nothing." Lily said, standing up but keeping her hand on her stomach.

"No, nothing at all." Mary said, rolling her eyes. "She's perfect."

"We're taking you to the hospital wing." Savanna said. "And we're taking you there now."

"But-"

"No buts." Savanna said. "She'll give you something for your stomach and then you can go to class."

"Bu- Oh alright."

"That's a good girl."

"I'll carry your book bag for you." Alice said, taking the bag off of Lily's arm and put it with her own bag.

"Thank you, Alice."

"It's no problem." She smiled. "Anyway, like I was saying. The boys wouldn't tell me anything and they think that it was Lily who told me to ask them about it. I told them it wasn't, but I don't think that they believed me."

"That's brilliant." Lily said. "I told you not to ask them anything." She said looking at Mary and Savanna.

"We didn't." Mary said.

"No. You had Alice ask them, which is- Oh my stomach! What is wrong with me?"

"Let's just get you to Madam Pomfrey." Mary said. "I'll get sick if you do."

"Mary!" Savanna said.

"I really will." Mary said shrugging.

oOoOo

Regulus stalked up to Rabastan after lessons that day and dropped his bag on the ground, standing up at full height, doing a very good job looking intimidating.

"What was that for?" The first year asked in a voice that sounded almost like a growl. He didn't have to ask more than that, Rabastan knew exactly when Regulus was referring too.

"Consider it a warning." He said, looking at Regulus's discarded bag at their feet. "The next time you want to get smart with me, remember what I am capable of."

Regulus opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He closed his mouth and bit his tongue.

"That's a good boy." Rabastan said, smirking. "See, it's not that difficult to respect your elders."

"I'm not doing anything for you." Regulus said. "I don't want to do it anymore."

"What?" Rabastan said, clearly this was not how he expected this conversation to go. "What do you mean?"

"You never tell us anything about who this man that we're supposedly training for is, you never give us anything concrete and you expect us to worship you. I've finished."

"You can't just stop." Rabastan scoffed. "That's not how it works."

"I'm finished." Regulus said. He picked up his book bag and started walking away.

"If you stop-"

"Are you threatening me?" Regulus said, wheeling around. Rabastan's words died in his throat. "You really shouldn't have done that." And then he stalked out of the Slytherin common room.

oOoOo

Friday's edition of the Daily Prophet brought both good and bad news. James was sitting with the Marauders when his owl delivered his paper, but quickly ran over to Cleo Downing after reading the first article.

"They found her!" He said. She nodded enthusiastically and threw her arms around James.

"I know. And she's fine too." Cleo said smiling. "Dumbledore said that I could go and see her tonight."

"That's great." James smiled. "I'm really glad that she's alright. When did you find out about it?"

"Only this morning. They found her around three o'clock in the morning and Dumbledore was contacted and he told me. I can't believe that she's alright." Cleo sighed. "You have no idea how worried I was."

"I don't." James nodded. "I'm glad everything worked out for you."

"Thanks." Emery Brown, the captain of the Quidditch team marched over to her friend and threw her arms around her.

"This is great news!" She said.

"I know! And I get to go visit her tonight." Cleo said, repeating what she had told James.

Emery's face fell. "Not that I'm not thrilled for you and all, but are you going to be back for the match tomorrow? It's our last one and it's against Slytherin."

"Emery!" James said. He knew that the Quidditch cup was important to her and that Quidditch was almost always the first thing on her mind, but he thought that was a little harsh. Cleo however, just laughed.

"Dumbledore said that he would move that match to later in the day so that I can still play."

"I think I love him." Now that she knew her team wasn't going to be missing a player, she was smiling again.

Compared to the news that the ministry had actually found someone alive and completely uninjured, the bad news didn't seem all that bad. Most people over looked the article because it appeared to have nothing to do with the raiders. There were no kidnappings, no murders, it was just a disappearance. A seemingly random disappearance. An aspiring author, studying the lives of giants, had been following a clan in the mountains for some time. The day before he had reported three of the giants appeared to be missing. The journalist who wrote the article seemed to think that other giants had killed the missing three.

"Don't you think this is strange?" Remus said, breaking off a piece of chocolate and re-reading the article.

"Of course it's strange." Sirius said. "How do three giants disappear?"

"It's not uncommon for giants to kill each other." Peter said.

"If the giants killed each other, their bodies would have been left behind and Hansel Grippe wouldn't have reported them missing." James said.

"I suppose not." Peter said.

"But at least it's missing giants instead of missing people." James said. "And look what else came with the morning post." He held up a letter addressed to James.

"What is it?" Sirius asked, trying to take it from James, who moved it out of his reach.

"It's a letter from my mother. I was going to open it in the Great Hall but then Alice came over… again."

"What's she up to anyway?" Sirius asked. "She's a decent bird, but she's acting chummy and we aren't exactly friends with her."

"I think it has something to do with Lily." James said.

"Yes." Remus sighed. "It's Lily's fault, even though she's been in the hospital wing for the last two days."

"I was wondering where she was." Sirius said, but James' eyes went wide and he stopped in the middle of the corridor.

"Why is she in the hospital wing? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I don't know why she's there." Remus said. "And I only just found out. Now open your mum's letter please."

"We have to go visit Lily." James said. "We can read the letter later. Don't you need to go there anyway?"

"Lily wouldn't like it if we went to visit her, James." Sirius said. "She doesn't like us."

"Actually she does." James said. "She just doesn't like to admit it."

"I don't think that's the case, James." Sirius laughed.

"The letter, James, what does it say?"

"Calm down, Remus." James said, opening the letter and reading its contents. "Well, she didn't overreact to the possibility that a raider is one of our professor." He sighed. "Actually, I don't think she took me as seriously as I wanted her to. I'll have to write to her again."

"What did she say?" Remus asked.

"She said, 'The Ministry has no criminal file on him.' Blah blah, 'There's no proof that Nigel had anything to do with Turnbull's first attack.' Blah blah, 'You're reading too much into this' I am going to write to her again, and this time I'm telling her that we were actually involved." James actually looked a bit put out.

"We could be wrong." Remus said. "If Professor Dumbledore hasn't done anything by now, maybe we did overreact to what happened and turned it into something it wasn't."

"Were you not there that night?" Sirius asked.

"I was, I'm just thinking. It was late, it was dark, we were tired. We could have turned nothing into something."

"I think it's time you go to the hospital wing." James said. "We'll walk there with you before potions."

"I'm okay for now." Remus said. "And I'm not too keen on missing potions. It's my worst subject."

"Passing out in the middle of Slughorn's lecture won't help you learn any of what he says." Sirius laughed.

"I'm okay, really." Remus said. "I'll over there after potions. And alone." He looked at James. "If Lily's sick, you should leave her alone. I wouldn't like it if Madam Pomfrey banned you from the hospital wing because you were pestering Lily."

"Okay." James grumbled.

"Oh cheer up." Sirius said, clapping James on the back. "I'm sure we'll think of something to do today that will get you landed in the hospital wing."

"James wouldn't do that." Peter said, speaking up from behind them.

"Wouldn't I?" James asked.

"No, you've got a Quidditch game tomorrow." James hung his head.

"I can't believe I forgot about that."

"Don't worry, we won't tell Emery." Sirius laughed.

oOoOo

Quidditch practice Friday afternoon went far better than all the practices of the prior month. Cleo was now in top form and didn't drop the Quaffle or fly in the wrong direction once. Emery's eyes stayed glued to her for most of the practice, almost waiting for her to mess up, but she didn't. And when they called it a day, ten minutes before dinner, Emery couldn't think of one thing to criticize her team for.

"That was excellent." She said, shocking everyone on the team. "Truly excellent. Don't let my praise go to your heads, but I can't see us losing tomorrow. Get a goodnight's rest and don't do anything stupid between now and the game tomorrow. Remember that it's at three o'clock instead of eleven because Cleo is going home to visit her mother." She looked over at James now. "That means things are a little different tomorrow. I don't want you, any of you to do anything that could get you detention or land you in the hospital wing. I need you all to just lie in bed or sit on a couch all day. Save your strength, eat well, but not too much. And take a nap after lunch, but don't sleep too long."

"Why don't you just throw us all in a padded room and leave us there until the game?" Seth laughed.

"I would, but I think that would be against some school rule." Emery said, she even cracked a smile. The practice had put her in such a good mood that Seth's teasing didn't even seem to bother her like it normally did.

"Fair enough." He nodded.

James met up with Sirius and Peter after he changed and they all headed towards the Great Hall for dinner.

"It's too bad Remus has to miss the last Quidditch game of the year." Sirius said. "It should be a good one too."

"Yeah." James sighed, but Peter actually laughed.

"Between the two of you, he'll feel like he was there."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

"You're both very descriptive." Peter said quietly, realizing that he had spoken up without being directly spoken to first.

"Well, we don't want him to miss out on anything." James said. "It wouldn't be fair." Sirius was shaking his head at his friend when he heard someone calling out his name.

"Sirius!" The group stopped and turned around to see Regulus running towards them. "You're a really hard bloke to find." He panted, stopping in front of his brother. The last time that the two of them had spoken had ended in a brawl and this fact was not lost on Sirius, but Regulus didn't seem to remember this, or was choosing to ignore it.

"What do you want?" Sirius scowled. Neither James nor Peter knew about the fight that had occurred in the Owlery, but James, at least, was used to Sirius's cold attitude when it came to his brother.

"I need your help." Regulus said.

"And why should I help you?" Sirius said in a bored tone.

"Sirius," Regulus said in a warning voice. "I need your help."

"What is it?" James asked on Sirius's behalf Sirius. Regulus didn't look at James, but he answered the question.

"Some Slytherins are trying to get me to join the raiders."

…

"What?" Sirius asked, shocked out of his anger. "What do you mean?"

"They are trying to get me to join a group that studies dark magic so they can join the raiders when they leave Hogwarts." Regulus said quickly, looking over his shoulder. "I said, 'no,' and Rabastan Lestrange told Professor Slughorn that I stole books from the restricted section and now I have detention tonight and tomorrow. I don't know what to do Sirius."

"Rabastan?" Sirius asked, to which Regulus nodded. "Don't worry about it." He said looking down at the ground. "I'll take care of it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, I promise, it's not going to take me this long to get the next chapter up. I really don't know what's gotten into me. I've already written about 14 of it, and I am going to plow through some more of it today. **

**Reviews are like chocolate covered strawberrys and ring pops! **


	26. Chapter TwentySix: The Professor's Eyes

**AN: ... This chapter should have been up about ten days ago, but my email wasn't working properly. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Six: The Professor's Eyes<strong>

The glow of the torches washed over the boys as they rushed down a staircase, heading for the dungeons. Sirius had waited long enough for his brother to make it into the Great Hall and then he all but ran away, not bothering to stop and tell James what he was going to do. Not that James needed to be told, he knew what Sirius wanted to do, he just didn't think now was a good time, morally he had no objections though.

"We can't do anything yet." James said, chasing after Sirius down the hall. Dinner was completely forgotten.

"Actually, we can James." Sirius said, still clenching and unclenching his fists at his side. He was going to knock that Slytherin git's block off. He was going to hurt him. How dare he try and take Regulus away from Sirius completely? How dare he try and corrupt and innocent first year like that? Joining the raiders? Who did this kid think he was?

"Sirius, please!" James said.

"What?" Sirius said, pausing for a moment and letting James catch up to him.

"I want to help you."

"So help me." Sirius said, continuing to march down the hall.

"I can't today." James groaned. "I have a Quidditch game tomorrow."

"Quidditch!" Sirius shouted. "Is that really what you are concerned about right now?"

"Sirius-"

"No, James. I don't think you fully grasp the situation. People are trying to get Regulus to join the raiders. They are trying to get him to become a murderer." James kicked his foot and looked at the ground.

"But think about it Sirius," He said carefully. "What kind of damage were a few second years going to do?" Sirius took a step toward James, looking like he was about to hit him. "I'm not saying that they shouldn't be taught a lesson." James said quickly, taking a step back. "But I also don't think that one extra day is going to do any harm."

Sirius took a deep breath and tried to force himself to relax. "I understand where you are coming from, but you have to look at this from my perspective."

"You're little brother is being threatened to join some dark arts group as a first year." James said. "I understand. But I also think that we would have more of an advantage if we take tonight to plan out an attack and then do something tomorrow."

"But what about tonight? I don't want Regulus anywhere near them." James tapped his foot for a moment and then looked up at Sirius.

"Remus isn't going to be in the dormitory tonight." He said. "You know, because it's a full moon."

"So?"

"Regulus can spend the night in the Gryffindor tower."

"James, how are we going to get a Slytherin into the Gryffindor tower?"

James gave him a really odd look and then sighed. He reached his hand into his book bag and pulled out the invisibility cloak. "I cannot believe you really just asked me that."

"Oh, right."

oOoOo

It took more than two hours to convince Regulus that he would be much better off sleeping in the Gryffindor tower. Sirius had taken the abrasive approach and James felt like they were playing 'good cop bad cop.' Nevertheless, eventually the young Slytherin agreed to go along with the Gryffindors' plan.

"I still don't understand how you are going to get me into your common room." Regulus said, following behind the two Marauders. "And aren't your roommates going to object to me staying in your dormitory? I know my roommates would object if I tried to smuggle a Gryffindor into our dormitory."

"That's the thing about Slytherins." Sirius said. "They are a bunch of gits." James agreed with what Sirius was saying, but thought that it was a bit unfair to say that just now. Regulus _was_ a Slytherin and he wasn't too sure that their roommates weren't going to object to Regulus staying the night.

"They aren't all bad, Sirius." Regulus sighed.

"Then why did you come to me for help? Why not tell one of the older prefects?" Sirius challenged. "You should have been in Gryffindor."

"Mum would have loved that-"

"Who cares?" Sirius snapped. "You wouldn't be in this situation right now if you were in Gryffindor." For that, Regulus had no argument.

"Okay Regulus, you can't tell anybody about this." James said when they reached the corridor that the Fat Lady's portrait hung in. He reached into his cloak and pulled out the invisibility cloak.

"What is that?" Regulus asked.

"It's how we're getting you into the common room." Sirius said, taking the cloak from James and throwing it over Regulus's head. "It's an invisibility cloak."

"Really?" Regulus asked. Then, though the other two boys couldn't see him, he must have looked down at his body and saw that he was indeed invisible. "Bloody hell!"

"You can't talk." Sirius said "And stay close, and don't bump into anyone."

"Okay."

"No one knows about the cloak." James added. "And we'd like to keep it that way."

"I understand." Regulus said.

"Then stop talking." Sirius said. "Good afternoon, Fat Lady."

"Hello, Sirius." The portrait said with a smile.

"Hellebore." James said, to which the portrait swung open.

"Oh! Excuse me." Alice said, almost running into James. "I'm always afraid doing that." She laughed. Then she seemed to have realized who she had almost collided with. "Hello."

"Hi, Alice." Sirius said. "Do you want to pester us some more, or can we get into the common room?" Alice laughed.

"Fortunately for you, I told Lily that I would bring her homework down at four." She pulled up her wrist and looked at her watch. "And it's now five past four, so I have no time to pester you."

"That is fairly fortunate." James said, nodding his head. "Tell Lily that-"

"You hope she gets better soon, yeah I got it." Alice said with a laugh. "I thought you of all people would be a bit more original than that, James."

"I was going to say," James said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "That it's a shame she won't get to see me play tomorrow."

"Oh." Alice said. "And that message surprises me even less." With that she skipped out of the porthole.

"Let's get up to the dormitory now, James." Sirius said, giving him a pointed look.

"Right." James said. The boys led the third and invisible member of their party up to the second year boy's dormitory. "I'll go in first and see who's there." James said, opening the door and slipping inside.

"You should take the cloak off now." Sirius said, holding his hand out. Regulus did as his brother suggested and put the cloak in his hand.

"That's brilliant." The younger boy said with admiration.

"I know." Sirius said, he smiled down at the cloak. "And it's really useful too."

"I can imagine."

"It's only Frank and Peter." James said, opening the door all the way. "And Peter already knows, so…"

"That leaves Frank."

"Frank Longbottom?" Regulus asked.

"The one and only." Sirius said.

"Isn't his dad's name, 'Frank?'"

"Shut up, James."

"Why are you lot standing in the door way?" Frank asked.

"That's a good question." James said, walking into the room again. "Frank, there is somebody we want you to meet."

"This," Sirius said, walking in with Regulus. "Is my little brother, Regulus."

"It's nice to meet you Regulus." Frank said, looking up from his Quidditch magazine to nod to him. "How did you get a Slytherin into the common room?"

"It was real tricky business." James said. "But after hours of scheming and a really elaborate plan, we finally managed it."

"I'm sure." Frank laughed. "Well, not that I mind, but what is he doing here?"

"He's going to spend the night." James said. Then he put his hand on his chest and looked at Sirius and Regulus. "He misses his big brother." Regulus shook his head and Sirius frowned.

"Some Slytherins are trying to corrupt him." He said.

"Well, there's that too." James said.

"You know Ian isn't going to like this."

"Neither is Stephan or Carl."

"Carl won't like it because Carl is afraid of Slytherins." James said. "Because Carl is spineless."

"I didn't know you didn't like Carl." Frank said.

"I do like Carl." James said. "Why would you think that I didn't?"

"I don't like Carl. Or Stephan or Ian." Sirius said. He walked over to James' trunk and took out a metal tin. "We're running low on sweets." He said examining the contents.

"And here I thought you only had a problem with people in my house." Regulus said, taking a biscuit from the tin.

"Oh no." James said. "Sirius hates everybody."

"It's true." Frank nodded.

oOoOo

Saturday went by very slowly. For one, Sirius was in a bad mood again and looked as though he was going to hex everyone around him at any moment. James had tried to calm him down, but all of his attempts proved fruitless. Regulus had spent the whole morning with them as well, on Sirius's insistence. He even ate breakfast at the Gryffindor table, which spawned many weird looks considering what day it was.

The day was another reason the Saturday seemed to pass so slowly, the Quidditch game had been moved to the afternoon. Quidditch games were almost always in the morning and the whole school didn't know what they were supposed to do while they waited. It might have been easier on them if it hadn't been the last match of the year, and if it hadn't been between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Those matches were almost always the most anticipated of the year. Slytherins and Gryffindors didn't get along in the best of circumstances and during the matches they were (unofficially) allowed to cause each other as much pain as they could manage.

"You two are going to get me beaten up." Regulus said as he walked down to the Quidditch pitch with Sirius and Peter. "I'm a Slytherin. I can't be in the Gryffindor stands today."

"Well, I say otherwise." Sirius said. "And who do you think is going to beat you up?"

"Umm," Regulus looked around. "Anyone of these blokes looks as though they want too. They're all glaring at me anyway."

"Don't worry." Sirius said. "They like me."

"All of them?" Regulus asked, his voice a mix of awe and disbelief.

"BLACK!"

"Almost all of them." Sirius amended. "Yes, Marly?"

"Don't call me that. What are you doing? You know that people of other houses aren't allowed in the dormitory. Or come in the common room. Or stay the night."

"Didn't you hear? It's bring your young brother to… everywhere you go day. It started yesterday." Sirius said, with a wry smile. "I went my dormitory, and he obviously had to come with me."

"Obviously." Regulus said, also smiling at the head girl. Marlene looked between the two of them and sighed.

"I'm not going to punish you." She said, crossing her arms. "I suppse I should actually be encouraging it."

"Why?" Regulus asked.

"Professor Dumbledore likes it when houses mingle."

"We're brothers, we 'mingle'-"

"He does, doesn't he?" Sirius asked, elbowing Regulus.

"But don't make a habit of it." She said sternly.

"Wait, McKinnon?"

"Yes, Sirius?"

"Who ratted us out?"

She looked at the two of them for a moment, then shook her head and laughed. "Why would I tell you that?"

"We know it was somebody from the dormitory." Regulus said. "And it wasn't Peter, James or Frank."

"It probably wasn't Carl either." Sirius said. "That leaves Stephan, Ian and Orion."

"Orion seemed alright." Regulus said. "It was probably Stephan _and_ Ian."

"Probably." Sirius agreed.

"I liked it better when I only had to deal with one Black." Marlene said, closing her eyes. She opened them and looked down at the two boys. "Go to the Quidditch game and stop being pests."

"Regulus finds that really hard to do." Sirius said.

"Thanks." Regulus said, shoving his brother.

"We're going to miss the start of the game. And then James will be angry with us." Peter said. Sirius looked over at him.

"Right you are, Peter. Marlene, as much as I love talking to you, I'm on a bit of a schedule."

"Oh darn." She said, rolling her eyes.

oOoOo

"AND GOOD AFTERNOON FELLOW HOGWARTS STUDENTS!" Josiah Smith's voice boomed throughout the pitch. "JUST LIKE LAST YEAR, I WILL BE JOINING MY BROTHER IN COMMENTATING THE QUIDDITCH FINAL."

"YES, BECAUSE JOE'S TEAM JUST CAN'T SEEM TO WIN."

"SHUT UP." Josiah said. "ANYWAY, IT'S THE FINAL MATCH AND IT'S COME DOWN TO SLYTHERIN AND GRYFFINDOR."

"YES, YES IT HAS." Richard laughed. "AND BOTH TEAMS WON THEIR MATCHES AGAINS HUFFLEPUFF AND RAVENCLAW, SO WHOEVER WINS, ALSO WINS THE QUIDDITCH CUP."

James laughed to himself. He liked it when the Smith brothers did the commentating together.

"Focus, Potter." Emery snapped. "Just because I said we were playing well yesterday doesn't mean-"

"I'm sorry." James interrupted. "I was listening to Richard and Josiah."

"Don't do that." She said.

"The game hasn't started yet."

"I don't care. The players don't listen to them."

"Alright then." James said.

"I hope it's a quick game." Seth said. As usual, he was standing next to James.

"Got yourself a date or something?" James asked.

"Nah." He glanced over at Cleo. "But it's already late afternoon. We've already wasted a good portion of the day that we could have spent partying."

"Don't let Emery hear you talk like that." Nicolas laughed, swinging his beate's bat around. "But I agree."

"Well, I don't mind if the game lasts long." James said. "I've got something to do after the game and I don't really mind putting it off."

"Oh?" Nicolas asked. "And just what is it that you'll be doing later, Potter?"

"I'll be having a _talk_ with Rabastan Lestrange."

"And why do you have to _talk_ to little Rabastan?"

"Yeah, why waste your time?" Seth laughed.

"He's trying to get Sirius's little brother to join a dark arts group." James said. "And Sirius is not reacting well to this."

"I wouldn't either." Nicolas said, looking rather shocked. "A third year is trying to corrupt the firsties?" James shrugged.

"Apparently."

"Where did you hear this?" Seth asked. He was a prefect and James realized that he probably shouldn't have been telling him any of this.

He shifted under Seth's gaze. "Regulus told us. That's Sirius's brother."

"This is serious, James." Seth said. "You should tell Professor McGonagall."

"Maybe tomorrow." James said. "I don't think that Sirius would be satisfied if we simply told on Rabastan."

"James, this is nothing to joke about." Seth said. "With the raids and everything that's happening, things like 'dark arts' clubs need to be stopped before they actually amount to anything. Who knows what their eventual intentions are."

"Okay." James sighed. "I'll talk to McGonagall."

"If you don't-"

"I will." James assured him.

"AND HERE'S THE GRYFFINDOR TEAM!" One of the Smith twins announced. James mounted his broom and waited for his name to be called.

oOoOo

Sirius and Peter were standing on either sides of Regulus during the entire game. When James would score, Regulus would clap for him, but if it were any of the other Gryffindor chasers that scored he would scowl. Sirius accepted this much better than his surrounding classmates who did not like having an opponent in the stands with them. But after about an hour of the game, Gryffindor was up by almost a hundred points and they stopped minding so much.

"James is really good." Regulus said, after James scored yet again.

"Yeah." Peter said. "He loves Quidditch."

"He never shuts up about it." Sirius agreed.

"Slytherin is not playing well at all." Regulus observed, watching as Cleo intercepted a pass thrown by one of the Slytherin chasers.

"Nope, not really." Sirius laughed. He looked over at Regulus, who was still absorbed in the game. This is what is should be like with Regulus, he thought. He should always watch the games with him and comment on the teams. They should joke around like they had been all morning, they should talk their way out of trouble together when Marlene caught them doing something that they weren't supposed to. Regulus should have been put in Gryffindor, not Slytherin. Sirius should have told Regulus that he wanted him to be in Gryffindor. If he had said something to him, if he hadn't spent the whole train ride wondering where Carlee was and being angry with Regulus, then maybe things would be different now. Maybe Regulus wouldn't be in the situation he was in, maybe Sirius could still talk to him like before either of them went to Hogwarts.

And it was because Sirius was looking at Regulus that he didn't see Jonah Henson's bludger hit James' in the back of the head, causing him to black out and fall off his broom.

oOoOo

When James woke up, he didn't know where he was. It was dark, and quiet, and he wasn't wearing his glasses. There were windows on the wall across from him and he could make out blurred pinpricks of light and then there was a blurry sphere that he knew was the moon. But he still didn't know where he was.

He looked around him and could just barely make out dark shadowy shapes that looked nothing like the second year boys dormitory. Though he already knew that he wasn't in the Gryffindor tower. When he woke up in his bed, there were no windows in front of him, only a door that led to the common room.

He closed his eyes and put his hands on either side of his head. There was a dull, but persistent throb and he felt as though his head would burst open at any moment. He let out a groan.

"Are you awake?"

James sat up in his bed very quickly giving him a head rush, causing him to fall back over. "Ow!" He groaned.

"James?" He knew that voice. "James, are you alright? Do you want me to go get Madam Pomfrey?"

"Madam-" James sat up, much slower this time and looked around. The dark shapes were starting to look more like beds now. "I'm in the hospital wing! What am I in here for?"

"You hurt your head. But Madam Pomfrey said that you probably wouldn't remember that."

"Lily?"

"You got hit in the head with a bludger during the Quidditch game. Then you fell about twenty feet or something. I don't know. Peter said that it was about fifty, Sirius said it wasn't _that _high, but Mary and Savanna said that you were at the base of the stands. And that's about twenty feet in the air."

"What are you doing in the hospital wing?" He asked, choosing to ignore what Lily was saying because he didn't know what she was talking about.

"I'm sick." She said. "Alice said you knew. You gave her a message for me."

"I didn't know." James said. "I would have come down to visit you if I knew!"

"Well, it appears as though you'll be stuck here for a while." James couldn't see her in the dark, especially not without his glasses, but he could imagine her rolling her eyes. "Madam Pomfrey said to tell you to drink that tonic when you woke up. The one on the table right there." He assumed she was pointing somewhere, but he couldn't see.

He looked around his bed and saw something that looked like it could be a table. "I'm really blind." He admitted.

"Here," He heard some rustling and then he saw something coming towards him. "Here's your glasses." She handed them to him. "And here's your tonic." He put his glasses on and then took the tonic from her.

He looked up at her and was a bit surprised to find that she was still blurry. His head throbbed again. "I must have hit my head pretty hard." He swallowed the tonic and put the empty goblet back on the side table.

"That's what they're saying." Lily sighed. She clutched her stomach and then walked back over to her bed.

"What's wrong with you?"

"The matron said that it was the Muggle equivalent of the flu, but I forget what she called it. She said that I'll just have to wait for it to wear off."

"I don't know what the, 'flu' is." James said. "And everything is still blurry."

"She said that you were going to have all sorts of side effects." Lily giggled. "Then she cursed the day Quidditch was invented and said that she wanted it banned from the school."

"I don't remember anything about the game." James sighed.

"She said you probably wouldn't."

"Did Gryffindor win?"

"Yes."

"Aw!"

"You're upset that we won?" She asked, sounding shocked.

"No, I'm missing the party." He heard her scoff.

"James, it's about four in the morning, the party is over."

"Then I missed the party." He amended. "Is it Sunday morning then?"

"Yes." Lily yawned. "You should probably get some sleep, James."

"My head hurts. I can't sleep."

"The tonic will help."

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

"My head hurts too." She said, shrugging. "James?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened last month? With Professor Seresin I mean." James sighed.

"Nothing." They were quiet for a minute. "I think the tonic is starting to work." He lied, rolling over on his side and putting his glasses back on the table.

"See you when you wake up." Lily said.

"G'night."

oOoOo

"_And what do you three think you're doing out of bed at this time of night?" The three boys froze in horror. Slowly, they all turned to face the figure who had just stepped out of the shadows. His wand was held up and flooded the corridor with light. The Marauders squinted while their eyes adjusted to the light, though they already knew who had joined their number._

"_I'll ask you again then, yes?" Professor Seresin said darkly. His eyes were lit up thanks to his wand and they looked different. "What are you three doing out of bed at a time like this?" He said in a calculated voice. James knew what was going to happen, he knew that they were going to get away, but that didn't stop him from being frightened. He could feel his heart beating frantically. "W-we just, um," He looked over at the other two boys, who didn't seem likely to jump in and help him out. "We fancied ourselves a late night snack." James said. He saw Professor Seresin's eyes flicker over him and he could tell that there was something wrong with them. They lacked their usual color, there was something almost fake about them._

"_Oh?" Professor Seresin asked, taking a small step towards them, and this was when James realized how odd that was. Seresin wasn't acting at all like his usual self. "And did you get lost?" He asked. There was a long gash across his cheek that James hadn't remembered seeing that. It looked fairly fresh and painful. "Last time I looked, the kitchen wasn't anywhere near the dungeon." He also had bruises on his neck and other smaller scratches. _

"_Actually, we foun-" Seresin cut him off before he could finish his barely believable lie. _

"_Whatever you boys think you know, you don't. Do you understand?" He lowered his wand to the boy's faces and made sure to lock eyes with each of them. James looked down when the strange eyes landed on him. They weren't Seresin's eyes, he thought. They don't look like his eyes. "And you're to speak of it to no one. Do you understand?" _

James shot up in bed, arms flailing slightly and he looked around. It was light outside now, but the room was still empty apart from Lily and himself. He looked over at her and saw that she was looking at him. He snatched his glasses off the table and shoved them on.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm okay. You?"

"James, you were talking in your sleep."

His mind was reeling. Was that really how that night had gone? Had Seresin really have all those scratches and bruises? Had his eyes really look all glazed over like that? James had seen people with eyes like that before. Well, not in person, but he had seen pictures of them, his parents had told him about them. If Seresin's eyes had really looked like that, that meant that-

"James?" Lily shouted. "Can you hear me?" She sounded a bit worried.

"Yeah." James said, running one of his hands through his hair.

"Does your head hurt?" She asked. James didn't answer her though. He looked up at her and said in a voice just above a whisper, "He was under the Imperius curse."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And that is that. I have almost finished the next chapter, so it should be up soon. :D Have a nice day, and leave me a review if you want... please. <strong>


	27. Chapter TwentySeven: Everyone is Angry

**AN: Look at that! It didn't take me 100 years to put up this chapter! I think I deserve a cookie or something. And... I'm almost finished with the next chapter as well!**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Seven: In Which Everyone is Angry<strong>

Lily blinked at James for a moment and then opened her mouth to say something, and then she closed it. Maybe James had hit his head harder than she had originally thought. She could see the look on his face and she knew that his mind was reeling, so she gave him a moment to collect his thoughts. She sat there and wondered what on earth he could be talking about, while he sat there and looked like he had just been stupefied.

"I don't know why I didn't think of it before." James muttered to himself. "He'd been acting so skittish lately and I thought it was because we knew something." He grabbed a fist full of his hair. "It all makes sense now. She's not dead, there's still no news-"

"James?" Lily asked quietly. "What are you talking about?"

"Professor Seresin." James said, looking up at her. He looked around the room, but it was still just the two of them. "About a month ago, Professor Seresin caught Sirius, Remus and I out of bed after lights out." Lily's eyes grew wide when she realized what he was telling her. "We had just overheard some Slytherins saying that Nigel, Seresin's son, had been the one to try and kill Minister Turnbull and then some man had killed Nigel for failing. Apparently Professor Seresin said some things to this man and the Slytherins thought that he was going to pay for whatever he had said.

"We were on our way to tell Dumbledore what we heard, when Professor Seresin found us and told us to follow him. After what we had just heard, we really didn't want to go anywhere with him, so we ran away."

"That's why you were so afraid of him the next day?" Lily asked.

"Yes. We thought he was a raider."

"But now you don't think so?"

"No." James said, shaking his head.

"And why's that?"

"His eyes were wrong." James said. "He was under the Imperius curse."

"That seems really unlikely." Lily said. "And what man?"

"What?"

"You said some man killed Nigel."

"I think he's the head of the raiders." James said. "But why do you think it's unlikely? Seresin had been gone from the school for a few weeks and he comes back and the first thing he did was threaten us."

"He didn't threaten you. Did he?" Lily asked.

"Sort of."

"What does that mean?"

"Well he said, "Whatever you think you know you don't, understand?" That was pretty threatening."

"Mary and I saw him the earlier that week, on the day of the Quidditch match. He didn't appear to be under the Imperius curse then."

"You weren't looking for it." James said. "And you probably don't know what to look for."

"Why?" She asked, glaring at him. "Because I'm a muggle-born?"

"No." James huffed. "Because your mum doesn't work for the MLES. _Your_ mum hasn't told you what the Imperius curse looks like. Why does your mind always jump there, Lily? It really doesn't matter to me that you're a muggle-born."

Lily blushed slightly and looked down at here her hands. James didn't seem to notice, fortunately.

"What did Seresin look like when you saw him?" He asked.

"He looked like he always does." Lily shrugged. Then she shook her head. "Well, he looked to be in quite a state, and was holding his cheek- I already told you this. Remember, when we were in detention."

"Right." James looked down at his lap. "Well, he was under the Imperius curse when we saw him."

"Because his eyes were wrong?"

"They were glazed over, and he was acting differently."

"Mary thinks that there was something wrong with his cheek, a cut or something. Maybe he had taken a potion for it and that's why his eyes were 'glazed over.'"

"What potion makes your eyes glaze over?"

"I don't know. But it's a more likely possibility than him not being under the Imperius curse when I saw him and then him being under the curse a few days later when you saw him."

"Maybe he left the school again between those times."

"Or maybe he took a potion for his injuries."

"You're impossible." James sighed.

"And you're being thick." Lily countered. "Seresin wasn't under the Imperius curse."

"Well, I think he was." James said.

"Well, I don't."

"No one asked you."

"You were talking to me! I'm allowed to give my opinion on what you're saying."

"I guess you're both awake then?" Madam Pomfrey said, walking out of her office and towards James and Lily. She picked up a bottle of some potion on her way over to James' bed and, when she reached him, she poured a blue liquid into a goblet. "Drink up."

"What's this for?" He asked, eyeing the questionable liquid.

"Your head injury."

"I don't have a head injury."

"What did you do yesterday?" She asked.

"I came down to the Great Hall for breakfast, then I went to cl- Wait, yesterday was Saturday."

"Yes, it was. Drink this."

"Maybe I should." Madam Pomfrey nodded and then turned to Lily.

"And how are you feeling, Lily?"

"My stomach feels worse than yesterday." She said.

"That's good." Madam Pomfrey said. "That means you're getting better."

"It actually sounds like she's getting worse." James said. Madam Pomfrey shot James an annoyed look and then walked over to Lily.

"I can get you a sleeping draught if you'd like."

"I was actually hoping to get some homework finished." Lily said.

"She didn't sleep last night." James said. He didn't know what made him say it, but he did. He was annoyed with her for disregarding his theory and wanted to return the favor. "She had a head ache and was up all night."

"I was not." Lily said quickly, glaring at James. "I was only awake when you were because you woke me up."

"You told me that you couldn't sleep because you had a head ache."

"This doesn't concern you." Lily snapped.

"You keep talking to me, and I want you to shut up."

"I want to do my homework, I'm not going to talk to you."

"And besides, if you don't get some sleep, then you aren't going to get better."

"Will the both of you just stop?" Madam Pomfrey said. "James, getting all worked up is going to make your head worse. Lily, it's not going to help you at all if you get James all worked up." She sighed and poured Lily the potion. "I know you don't like it, but James is right. If you don't get enough sleep, you're not going to get better."

"If you say so." She said, taking the goblet and swallowing it. "But when I fail Transfigurations, it'll be on your conscious, Potter." With that, she rolled over and, presumably, fell asleep.

"What do I care if you fail Transfigurations?"

"James." Madam Pomfrey warned.

"Sorry."

oOoOo

Sirius couldn't wait anymore. It had been three days now since Regulus had told him that Rabastan had tried to force him to join a dark arts group, and he couldn't sit around and wait for James anymore.

So, as much as Sirius would have liked to have someone to back him up, he was going down to sort things out with Rabastan alone.

At least he thought he was.

"Hello, Black." Seth Stein said as Sirius was walking past the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common room. "Off to visit James in the hospital wing?"

"Yeah, sure. Why not?"

"Sirius," Seth said. "I know about Lestrange."

"Brilliant."

"I can't let you leave the common room."

"Well, you can't do anything to keep me in here." He kept walking towards the porthole.

"I've already told Professor McGonagall about it." That made Sirius freeze.

"Why? You're going to get Regulus beaten up!"

"I didn't give her any names."

"They are going to know that it was him! I had him camp out in our dormitory the other night!"

"Regulus is going to be fine. McGonagall has Slughorn keeping an eye on him and some of the Slytherin prefects as well."

"Brilliant, so Malfoy is going to babysit my brother?" Sirius clenched his fists together. "Do you have any idea was you have done?"

"You were going to harm Rabastan." Seth pointed out. "I knew about that, I couldn't let it happen."

"Well, now you're going to get my little brother hurt."

"People are keeping an eye on him, Sirius. Nothing is going to happen to him. And the dark arts group has been disbanded."

"I'm sure it has, because when a teacher tells them to stop doing something then they have too." He was really angry now.

"The situation is under control."

"No, it's not. I was going to control the situation, you've gone and spoilt everything."

"Sirius, listen to me. Violence is never the answer."

"No, you listen to me. Mind your own business." And then Sirius turned around and stormed back up to his dormitory.

oOoOo

Remus woke up around noon to an empty room. He rubbed his eyes and then double-checked because he really couldn't believe that he was alone. Sirius and James were always in the room when he woke up. Unless they had classes, but he was pretty sure that today was a Sunday, there were no classes.

He had been a bit annoyed when they hadn't visited him on Friday, they had said that they would, and then they didn't. When he thought about it, he guessed that they _had_ come down to visit, but James had said something to Lily that had got him thrown out and then they had had to leave. Yesterday he knew that they hadn't visited because James was getting ready for the Quidditch game, although though they could have come in the morning.

And now it was Sunday and he still hadn't heard from Sirius, James or Peter. He was no longer annoyed, he was worried. Why hadn't they visited him? Had something terrible happened in the last few days that made them incapable of visiting? Or was it something else? Had they simply forgotten about him? Had they realized that there were better things to do than entertain a werewolf in the hospital wing all weekend?

Remus knew that it was wrong, but he was really hoping for the first scenario. He didn't know what he would do if his friends decided that they didn't have time for him, if they didn't want to put up with him anymore.

"You have some mail, dear." Madam Pomfrey said upon entering the room. "I was just waiting for you to wake up. Though I will want you to try and get some more rest after you read them."

"Yes, Madam." Remus said, taking two thick envelopes from her. "This one's from Carlee!" He said, rather surprised. He hadn't heard from Carlee for a while.

"That's lovely." Then Madam Pomfrey smiled. "I'll be back in a few minutes with your lunch."

"Thank you." He said with a nod, as she left the room.

He opened the letter from his mum first. He read through it quickly. She had written to wish him well, as she normally did after the full moon, and to tell him what was happening at home. His father had decided to try to grow tomatoes in the garden next year, but that was really all she had to write.

He put the letter aside and ripped open Carlee's. Her familiar handwriting filled the page and he could feel his loneliness disappear.

_Hello Remus!_

_I've enclosed everyone else's letters with yours, so you know, make sure they get them. I worked very hard on them and it took me about a year to write them. Sorry about that by the way. _

_Anyway, how are you? What are you up to? What have you been doing in classes? How much trouble have James and Sirius gotten you in recently? _

_I've been really bored without you lot to keep me entertained. I think I'm now_ _officially better. Well, I'm as better as I'm going to get I think. If that makes sense. Nothing is ever going to be the same as it was, but that's what happens I suppose. I'm going to miss them for the rest of my life, but I'm going to have to keep living as well. I'll just have to keep them in my heart. At least, that's what my Grandmother tells me._

_Lily sent me a letter last month, asking me if I knew what you lot were up too. I told her I didn't, because that was the truth. What were you all up too? _

_What do you think about the new Minister of Magic? I don't know that much about him, but my Grandmother never has anything nice to say about him. She seems to think that he'll be the end of the English Ministry._

There were a few more pages that she had written to him that listed out the little things that had happened in her day-to-day life that she thought he would find interesting. And just then, sitting in the hospital wing alone, he found everything a little bit more interesting than if he had been somewhere else. She knew when she had written the letter that it was going to reach him around the full moon, so she had sent him happy thoughts and had promised to send chocolate soon.

Remus finished her letter and put it down on the bedside table. It was good to hear from Carlee. The last letter he had got from her was around Christmas, and that was almost three months ago.

He was going to try and rest, when the door to his room shot open and in walked a very angry looking Sirius Black.

Instead of greeting Remus, Sirius stalked over to the corner of the room and slouched down in a chair. He had his arms crossed and his eyes were narrowed. After a moment, Remus thought that maybe Sirius hadn't meant to come into his room.

"Excuse you." Remus said, sounding more bitter than he had meant to.

"What?" Sirius asked, looking up at Remus. "Oh, sorry. How are you?"

"I'm fine." Remus said. "How are you?"

"I'm fine."

"Then where have you been?"

"Bloody hell." Sirius muttered. "No one's been here have they?" He shook his head and walked over to Remus. "I'm sorry, mate. A lot's happened since you came down here." Remus didn't say anything, so Sirius continued. "Regulus came up to me on our way to dinner on Friday and told me that some Slytherins were trying to get him to join a raiders support club." He rolled his eyes. "And so James and I sneaked Reg into the Gryffindor tower and had him spend the night. Then I took Reg with me to the Quidditch game yesterday. We were going to teach the Slytherins a lesson after the game, only James was hit with a bludger. He's out there now." He gestured to the door. "Got himself a bed next to Lily. He's not as happy about it as you would think though. So this morning, I was going to go have a chat with Rabastan, that's the Slytherin that was threatening Reg, and Seth Stein stopped me at the porthole."

"James is in the hospital wing?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, but he's alright. Can't remember anything that happened yesterday, but he'll be fine." Sirius said.

"What about your brother?"

"He's fine too." Sirius sighed. "I reckon Daniel with keep an eye on him for me. I just have to ask him."

"That's a smart plan."

"Thanks." Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "I get those every now and then."

"Well, it's bound to happen." Remus chuckled. He felt guilty now. Guilty that he could ever think that James and Sirius had abandoned him.

"You're one brilliant mate, you know that?"

"You too." Remus grinned.

oOoOo

"Good, you're up." James said when he saw Lily's eyes flutter open.

"Oh joy." Lily yawned and sat up.

"I've come to a heart-breaking conclusion." He said dramatically.

"Oh? What's that?"

"You were right."

"Obviously." She said, yawning again. "About what?"

"Seresin. I don't think he was under the Imperius curse. That's just too difficult. Someone would have to sneak into Hogwarts, put him under the curse, and then take it off of him without anyone noticing. And why would he be under the curse just that one night?"

"I was trying to tell you that."

"Well, you should have said it like I just did. Then I would have believed you."

Lily blinked a few times and then shrugged. "Sorry."

"Well," James prompted. "Don't you want to know my new theory?"

"Are you going to get upset and tell Madam Pomfrey that I need to sleep when I disagree with you?"

"Probably not." James said. "But this theory is flawless. You'll agree with me this time."

"Let's hear it."

"Don't get too excited." James laughed.

"I'm on the edge of my seat." She sighed and pulled her blankets up to her chin.

"Seresin isn't a raider." James said. Lily looked at him and shook her head.

"Obviously. Professor Dumbledore wouldn't have hired a raider."

"I mean, he is a raider." James said. "But it was only to protect his family. He doesn't want to be a raider."

"Okay." Lily said. "This makes more sense than your last theory, so I'll go along with it for a moment."

"It was all just an act to protect his son, who was actually a raider."

"His son? Nigel?"

"Yes."

"He's a raider?"

"Well, he was. He's dead now." James said. "He was supposed to kill Turnbull, but he failed so he was killed."

"Yes, yes, you told me that already." Lily waved her hand impatiently. "How do you know he was a raider?"

"Why else would he have tried to kill the Minister?"

"Maybe he was under the Imperius curse." Lily said sarcastically.

"Maybe." James said, missing her tone. "But it's more likely that he was a raider."

"Right." Lily sighed. "You've really given this a lot of thought."

"What else was I supposed to do? Madam Pomfrey won't let me get out of my bed."

"You could have done your homework." Lily said.

"I have a head injury." James said. "I don't think anyone is going to expect me to have my homework finished."

"But you feel fine." Lily said. "You should do it."

"I don't want to strain my brain."

"Oh, no. We wouldn't want that." Lily said. "And besides, I would think theorizing about our professors involvement in the raiders is a bit more strenuous than our homework."

"Probably." James grinned. "But there is another problem."

"What's that?"

"I just don't want to do my homework."

"Of course." Lily leaned over her bed and picked up her book bag. "Of course that's the other reason. James Potter doesn't _want_ to do his homework, so why would he? James Potter does whatever he wants."

"James Potter is right next to you."

"I'm doing my homework."

"I can see that." James said. "You should wait though. I wasn't finished telling you about Seresin."

"Shut up, Potter."

"But I need to tell someone." He said. "And you're the only one here."

"I'm finished talking to you."

"Really?" There was no answer. "Okay. But you'll get bored eventually and then _I_ won't talk to _you_." He didn't see Lily smirk.

oOoOo

It was Sunday afternoon and, like so many of their classmates, Mary and Savanna were in the library. Though neither of them were getting much done because they both felt odd doing homework without Lily. They kept glancing at her empty chair and then Mary would flip to a random page in her textbook and Savanna would dip her quill into her inkwell again.

"We're getting nowhere." Mary said, after almost an hour. "I've answer two questions for History of Magic and I've only got a few sentences for our potions essay. And nothing I've done is very good."

"She doesn't help us _that_ much." Savanna sighed. "I mean, we usually sit here in silence and all work on our own work."

"But she's usually there." Mary said, chewing the end of her quill. "Maybe we should go and work somewhere else."

"Like where?"

"I don't know. The common room?"

"It's going to be loud in there."

"Not too loud. It's Sunday afternoon. Everyone will be doing homework."

"Alright. It's worth a try, we're not getting anything done here."

"Besides, we can work with some of the other girls if we go to the common room."

They packed up their books, parchment and quills and headed out of the door. They were on the fourth floor when they saw a student, who appeared to be a first year. He was walking in their direction, but didn't look as if he had seen them yet. He was looking intently at the floor and clutching his stomach.

"Are you alright?" Savanna asked. She didn't really know who this boy was, but she was pretty sure she had seen him in the common room the other day.

The boy jumped a bit at the sound of her voice and then his eyes flashed to hers. "What?" He asked. Savanna was sure that she had seen this boy, but his robes had the Slytherin crest on them, so it couldn't have been in the common room.

"I asked if you were alright." Savanna said walking closer to him.

"I'm alright." He said sharply, but he was still clutching his stomach.

"Do you need us to help you get down to the hospital wing?"

"I said, I'm alright." He repeated.

Savanna was about to press the matter when she felt something tugging on her sleeve. She looked up at Mary who was nodding towards the end of the corridor. Two boys were standing against the wall with smug looks on their face. Neither of the girls knew who they were but they could tell that they were Slytherins by the green of their ties.

"Well, you're okay then." Savanna said slowly. "But how about we walk with you."

"Yeah." Mary said. "Where are you going?"

The boy looked between the two of them and rolled his eyes. "I don't need any help from you." He followed their gaze back to the Slytherins and let out a humorless laugh. "They aren't going to do anything else. They've made their point."

"Anything else?" Mary asked.

"It's none of your concern." he said. He tried to walk away, but Savanna blocked impeded his path.

"Did those boys hurt you?" She asked.

"No." He said, no longer looking at her.

"Are you sure?"

"Why do you even care?" He asked. "Please move."

Savanna sighed, but stepped out of his way.

"That was odd." Mary said, once he was out of the corridor.

"It was odd." Savanna agreed.

"Do you think we should tell, Sirius?" Mary asked.

"Why would we?"

"Isn't that his little brother?"

"Is it?"

"I think so, they were together all Saturday. And they look quite similar as well."

"He didn't look like he wanted to make anything of it." Savanna said. "If he wants Sirius to know, he'll tell him."

"I suppose so." Mary said. "But I don't like this."

"I know." Savanna said.

"If Lily was here, she would agree with me."

"Probably." She agreed. "Now let's get to the common room and start our homework."

oOoOo

Regulus was humiliated. He felt completely stupid and embarrassed. And he was pretty sure a couple of his ribs were bruised.

He didn't know the Gryffindor girls who had asked him what had happened, but he didn't let them see how he was feeling. He didn't act weak, hurt or embarrassed. He laughed when they guessed the truth and walked away.

He should have known that telling Sirius was a bad idea. He should have known that it wouldn't have fixed anything. He should have kept his mouth shut and just listened to Rabastan like all the others, because it didn't matter if Rabastan was an unfair prat. Rabastan had the older students backing and Regulus, even with the help of his brother, was no match for them.

He didn't know what to do now. Sirius and he had been acting like real brothers that weekend, and he didn't know how that could continue now.

Regulus was getting sucked into something he knew very little about, something that he had only ever heard his relatives talk about over dinner. And he felt powerless to stop it. He was a pureblood and a Black and certain things were expected of him. He admired his brother for doing things his own way, and not caring what anybody thought of him, but he couldn't do that. There was a reason that the sorting hat had never even considered putting Regulus in Gryffindor. He was a bookworm who just did what he was told. He wasn't brave.

He would never admit it, but Radolphus Lestrange and Jonah Henson had made him understand how things worked in his house. There was no fair, there was no justice. There were simply those with power and those without. And unfortunately, Regulus fell under the latter category.

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><p><strong>AN: Don't forget to leave me a review! I love reviews, they make me feel good inside. <strong>


	28. Chapter TwentyEight: In the Kitchen

**AN: Here we are! Updated NOT a month after the last chapter. I think I'm on a roll. Of course, it's not nearly as good as my twice a week streak but, it's better, right?**

**Side note, I use the word biscuit in here, and I think I fixed it so it's clear, but biscuit in the US and in the UK are two different things. In the UK it means a cookie, which is how I'm using it. **

**Okay, that's all. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Eight: Nights in the Kitchen<strong>

Remus was let out of the hospital wing on Sunday evening, James was forced to go to classes on Monday despite his insistence that his head still ached and Lily had to wait until Wednesday before Madam Pomfrey deemed her well enough attend classes again.

"You should consider yourself awfully lucky, Lily." She said. "Most cases last for weeks." Lily's eyes grew wide, she couldn't imagine missing _weeks_ of classes. She already felt as if she was going to be really far behind just from missing four days of classes. "Anyway, if you're feeling ill at all, come straight back. Do you hear? I don't want you infecting half the school."

"I promise." Lily said, grabbing her book bag and all but running into the corridor.

She walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast after escaping and seated herself across from Mary and Savanna, who both looked up at her in surprise.

"Lily!" Mary almost shouted, causing many heads to turn in their direction, not that she noticed. She stood up and leaned across the table, pulling Lily into a hug. "You didn't tell us that you were getting out today."

"I didn't know until this morning." Lily laughed, filling her plate with as much food as she could. Her appetite seemed to have reappeared with her health.

"Well, we're glad your back." Savanna said. "We didn't know what to do with ourselves for the last few days."

"It's true." Mary said. "We stopped going to the library too because we would just sit there and not do any work."

Lily's eyes went wide. "You didn't do any homework the entire time I was gone?"

"Of course we did." Savanna said, rolling her eyes. "We just had to find somewhere else to do it."

"And someone else to do it with." Mary said. "We've actually been talking to Coral again."

"You replaced me?" Lily asked.

"Yes." Mary said with a straight face. Then she started laughing.

"You're mad." Lily said, shaking her head. "But I've missed you."

"We missed you too." Savanna said.

"We would have visited more," Mary said, looking slightly guilty. "But it's contagious and-"

"And Mary has a problem with sick people."

"I realized that." Lily laughed. "It looked like you were going to be sick when you were in there on Monday."

"I thought I was." Mary confessed.

"Morning, Evans." Lily groaned inwardly and stared resolutely down at her toast when she heard that voice. She thought that maybe, just maybe, he would give her an hour or so, but she should have known better. "Mary, Savanna." James said, nodding at the other girls as well.

"Morning, James." Mary said cheerfully. "Care to join us for breakfast?" She chose to ignore the glare Lily gave her.

"Of course." James said, seating himself next to Lily. "So," He reached over to grab the jug of pumpkin juice. "Have you given my latest theory anymore thought?"

"None." Lily lied. If she was being honest, she had been thinking a lot about what James had told her regarding Professor Seresin.

"I told Remus, Sirius and Peter. They all think I'm right." He said, as if that proved anything. She bit her tongue in frustration.

"In more or less words." Remus said, taking a seat next to Mary. "Morning." He added. Sirius sat down next to James and Peter next to Remus.

"Morning, Remus." Lily said.

"I've actually got a surprise for everyone." Remus said, reaching into his bag and pulling out a bundle of parchment.

"What is it?" James asked.

"Now," Remus said, glancing briefly at Sirius and then at the bundle. "I wanted to give them to you all at the same time, so I was waiting for Lily to get well."

"Why'd you look at me like that?" Sirius asked. "What is that?"

Remus didn't say anything, instead he pulled the stack of parchment apart and started handing everyone an envelope. Everyone looked down and saw their names written on the outside of the envelope and Sirius gasped.

"How long have you had these?"

"Only since Sunday." Remus said sheepishly.

"Sunday!" He said. "Re-" He didn't bother finishing whatever he was going to say because he was too busy tearing open the envelope. Remus smiled knowingly at him.

Carlee had taken the time to write to everyone, so Remus sat there munching on toast and jam while Lily, James, Sirius, Mary, Savanna and Peter all read their letters. Peter had been surprised when Remus had handed him a letter, but Remus thought he knew why she had written to him and, if he was right, he was glad she had. Sirius and James had allowed Peter to hang out with them again, they had begrudgingly and slowly started to accept him as a friend again, but Remus was the only one of the Marauders who actually insisted that Peter be included. If Carlee hadn't written him a letter, Peter would have been left out, and there would be nothing Remus could do about that.

"Makes me feel sort of rotten." Mary said, tucking her letter into her book bag. "She wrote, what? Seven letters before I wrote her one." She sighed. "It's pathetic."

"Well, I'm glad to hear from her." Savanna said. "Besides, we both wrote back to her back after Christmas. Technically this is her reply."

"I know." Mary said. "But still. I feel like a rotten friend."

Everyone soon finished reading their letters and the conversation revolved around Carlee for a few more moments before the Daily Prophet arrived. There was nothing in it about deaths or kidnappings, instead the front page had a large picture of the new Minister, Xavier Henderson, smiling broadly and looking very pleased. The headline read: **New Raider Legislation Passed!**

"My mum is not going to be pleased." James said.

"Alright." Remus sighed. "That's the second time you've spoken up about this raider legislation. Why is it a bad thing? At least Henderson is doing something. Turnbull just sat around until they killed him."

"It's not necessarily a bad thing." James sighed. He really didn't know how to explain this to everyone. Politics and law enforcement didn't mix well. It all looked good on the surface, but it wasn't always the best thing to do. "It's just, the D.M.L.E-"

"The Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Mary said, noticing the blank looks on Remus, Savanna and Lily's faces.

"Right, sorry." James said. "Well, they technically run under the Minister, but the Minister isn't in the department all the time. He doesn't talk to them about what's going on, he isn't there." James said. "And my mum gets annoyed when the politicians try and tell her how to do her job."

"Your mum's not the only one." Mary said. "The Aurors get really upset. Last year, Turnbull tried to get all the Aurors to take some kind of tutorial so that they could be better prepared to catch the raiders. My dad had a few of his friends over and they were all angry and shouting." She laughed. "It was actually quite funny to see all those _distinguished_ men lose their tempers like that."

James nodded. "I forgot your dad was an Auror."

"Yep. For about 160 years now." She laughed.

"Your dad's not that old." James said. "He's about five years younger than my dad actually."

"I forgot about that." Mary said. "Your parents _are _old."

The students finished their breakfasts and walked to Defense. The Marauders were walking ahead, because Lily had deliberately slowed her pace.

"Was he really that bad?" Savanna asked, knowing perfectly well why they weren't walking with the boys.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"Savanna and I sympathized with you." Mary said, ignoring her question. "James is a lot to handle, and he seems to have a particular interest in you."

"I still don't know what you're talking about."

"You were the only two in the Hospital wing for a couple days." Savanna said.

"Right." Lily said. "We mostly just slept. He had to heal his head and I was trying to get better."

"Then why are you upset with him?" Mary asked. "We worked out that something happened."

"He just-" Lily shook her head. "He gets under my skin. I can't explain it."

"So he didn't do anything?"

"He was being his usual prat-ish self." Lily said.

When they reached the classroom, the girls took their usual seats in the front of the room and the Marauders took their usual seats in the back.

"G'morning, class." Professor Seresin said, wearing a falsely cheerful grin as he walked into class. "How is everyone this morning?" The class responded with noncommittal noises. "Good, good. I'm glad to hear it." Lily looked at the professor and, even though she didn't want to, she started thinking about what James had said.

She may not have believe that Seresin had been under the Imperius curse at any point in time, but she did think that something was going on with him. Savanna and she had spent enough time thinking up their own theories before the Maruaders had put any ideas in her head.

Comparing the Seresin they had had before the holidays with the Seresin they had now, there was actually quite a few surprising differences. The Seresin before the holidays was strict and didn't tolerate any foolishness. He wasn't angry all the time, but he made no effort at all to appear cheerful. The Seresin they had now almost never reprimanded students who misbehaved (though they were only a few) and he almost always appeared cheerful. Lily didn't understand why someone who, according to James Potter, had just lost their son would try so hard to be happy when he hadn't made the effort before.

"We have a lot of theory to go over today." Seresin said, pulling Lily out of her thoughts. "So I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to get your quills out." The old Seresin would never have been apologetic about giving a lecture, Lily thought. The class groaned as they pulled out their parchment and quills. "It's not going to be that bad."

"What is he doing?" Mary whispered, leaning over towards Lily. Maybe this behavior was odd for the new Seresin too.

"I don't know." But Mary wasn't looking at the Professor. He was looking at a boy who sat a few rows down from them. He was pulling out this morning's edition of the Daily Prophet.

"Wait, Professor?" It was Eustace Green, the Hufflepuff who Seresin had taken a liking to at the beginning of the first term.

"What is it, Eustace?" Seresin said, his tone was apathetic but Lily could see his eyes narrow. The professor saw the Prophet too and he didn't look like he wanted to talk about it.

"I was hoping we could talk about the new raider legislation." Lily had been looking at Eustace while he asked his question, but the moment he said raider, her eyes snapped up to Seresin's face. He made no obvious signs of discomfort, and Lily could have kicked herself for thinking that he would have. Potter was getting inside her head and making her just as paranoid as he was.

James was wishing that he had sat in the front now. He should have counted on Eustace bringing up the new legislation. Well, maybe not, but why did he have to be sitting so far from the Professor now?

"What exactly did you-" He coughed. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Do you think it's going to help any?" Eustace asked. "The head of the D.M.L.E. didn't really seem all too thrilled about it." James didn't know what the head of the D.M.L.E. had said about it because he hadn't bothered to read the article, but he had known that he wasn't going to have anything nice to say about the legislation.

"I don't know if it will help, but that is the idea behind it." Seresin said. "The Minister wouldn't have written it up if he didn't think it was going to help."

James dared to raise his hand. He felt someone kick him under the desk, but ignored it. "Professor?"

Seresin looked at James apprehensively. "Yes?" He asked.

"Why do you think it took so long for it to be passed? If it's going to be helpful, shouldn't it have been passed rather quickly?" James didn't really care what Seresin was going to say, he was just hoping that if he got him talking for long enough, he would get confused and let something slip.

"That's a good question." Seresin said carefully. "But unfortunately, I wasn't there when the court was discussing it, so I don't know why it took so long." Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "Though, three weeks of discussion isn't really a long time. Most legislation takes much longer than that."

"Yes," James said. "But most legislation isn't as urgent."

"Exactly!" Eustace said. "Raiders are out there right now, capturing people and killing them." A few students flinched at his bluntness. "If this was a good idea, why wouldn't they have passed it immediately? Why wait so long? Why would people in the D.M.L.E. not support it?"

"Alight, children," Seresin sighed. "I don't know how much longer you were expecting me to allow you to distract me, but we do have a lesson to get through today and I wouldn't be surprised if it showed up on your exams." And that was the end of the discussion. Eustace's questions remained unanswered and Seresin went on with his class as though he had never been interrupted in the first place.

oOoOo

Daniel Baker was sitting on a window ledge reading a book when Sirius Black accosted him. The Gryffindor had his friends waiting a little way away and he walked up to Daniel as though he did this every day.

"Hullo." Sirius said.

"Hello." He said, putting his book down and giving the boy a pointed look.

"I guess I won't beat around the bush." Sirius said.

"I would appreciate that."

"I was wondering if you could do me a favor." Sirius said quickly.

"A favor?" Daniel asked with a laugh. "And why would I do you a favor?" Daniel didn't need Sirius to answer this. And he knew that if what Sirius asked was within reason, he would do it. He felt like he owed it to Carlee. Sirius seemed to understand that the question didn't need answering, because he just told Daniel what he wanted.

"My little brother might be in some trouble." He said quietly. "And it's sort of difficult for me to keep an eye on him all the time, seeing as how he's not in my house." He looked over his shoulder. "But he is in your house."

"You want me to babysit your brother?"

"No." Sirius said quickly. "I only want you to make sure that people are leaving him alone."

"What people?" Daniel said, though he thought he had some idea who Sirius was referring too.

"I don't know." Sirius sighed. "I was hoping you would. The only name Reg gave me was, Rabastan."

"Lestrange?" Daniel asked, raising his eyebrows. "Obviously."

"Well, Reg came to me and said that he was giving him some trouble because they wanted him to join some dark art's group," Sirius looked down at the ground. "I'm not saying that I think you know anything about it, but-"

"I do." Daniel said. Sirius's eyes shot back up to Daniels. He could see the self-doubt cross over Sirius's face. He was regretting asking him now. Daniel sighed. "I'm not involved." He said, putting Sirius at ease. "Not after-" He caught himself and coughed. Sirius seemed to be all out of things to say, and looked like he was waiting for something. "Alright." Daniel sighed. "I'll keep an eye on him."

"Thanks." Sirius said.

"No trouble."

oOoOo

Things seemed to quiet down a bit after that. No more of the Marauders had to visit the hospital wing, there was nothing earthshattering in the Prophet, Lily and James didn't have any more arguments, and Professor Seresin's situation remained a mystery.

Actually, the Marauders were becoming less and less concerned with what Professor Seresin was up to. They were going out almost every night of the week to search for secret passages, making a suspicious number of trips to the library and keeping the house elves busy in the kitchens. And their sneaking around had not been fruitless. They had found four new passageways and Remus was sure he knew where another two were, they just had to determine out how to open them.

It was the last Wednesday in March and the Marauders were all crowded around a piece of parchment in the kitchens. Bowls of fresh made chocolate biscuits and left over pudding surrounded them and, as they were trying to work out how to make their map of the school, they were also stuffing their faces. They didn't want their dorm mates to find out about the map so the kitchen was the only safe place for them to work and they were enjoying it.

"But the staircases move!" Remus said, for what he thought was the hundredth time. "How are we going to put them on the map?"

"That is a brilliant question, Remus." Sirius said through clenched teeth. "I bet if you ask again, we'll have an answer for you."

"I wish both of you would just shut up." James said, flipping through the pages of a charms book they had nicked from the library. "We'll work it out eventually." He said, picking up another chocolate biscuit.

"But how?" Remus asked. "We don't even know where to begin."

"I didn't say that it was going to be easy." James said, turning the page again.

"Do you think there is someone we can ask?" Peter asked.

James and Sirius looked at him. "We're not asking for help." Sirius said. "We'll work this out on our own." James nodded.

"It's a good idea, Peter." Remus sighed. "And it would be far less frustrating."

"I was actually thinking about something." Sirius said.

"That is quite a surprise." James quipped. Sirius ignored him.

"Well, what good is a map of the school?" He said. "Really? After we get it all drawn, we're going to know the layout of this place better than anyone."

"So," Remus narrowed his eyes and spoke carefully. "Now you don't even want to make a map?"

"I never said that." Sirius laughed. "But what if it was more than a map."

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"What if it showed us where people were?" For a moment, James, Remus and Peter all stared at him. Then Remus and James started laughing.

"Sirius!" James snorted. "We don't even know how to get the staircases on the map. And you want us to make it show us where people are?" Remus had stopped laughing though and he was looking thoughtfully down at the parchment.

"I think it's a good idea!" Sirius said, punching James in the arm. "Stop laughing at me."

"Actually," Remus said. "I think that would be fairly simple." James now gawked at Remus. "Well, not simple exactly." He amended. "But it's just a tracing charm."

"That would have to be an impressive tracing charm." James said. "And we'd have to get the dimensions of the whole castle right too. It'd all have to be drawn to some scale." Sirius could see the wheels spinning in Remus and James's heads. He looked over at Peter who was looking a bit overwhelmed.

"Well," Sirius laughed. "That should keep them busy, hey Pete?"

Peter looked up at Sirius and smiled. "Seems like it."

Sirius picked up a biscuit and looked curiously at Peter. The boy had taken a long time to get over his fear and accept Remus as a friend, but now that he had, he didn't flinch or jump whenever one of them would mention Remus's monthly transformation. He didn't get nervous or stutter when they were in Remus's hospital room, and he almost always sat in the chair closest to Remus. Peter would bring Remus books, take notes for him in History of Magic and sneak him food from dinner. He may have taken his time getting there, but Peter was comfortable with Remus being a werewolf. More than that, he was one of Remus's best friends now. Peter cared about Remus just as much as Sirius and James did and Sirius thought that it was about time he stopped punishing the boy for being afraid.

"You're alright, Pete." Sirius said, seemingly out of nowhere. Peter looked over at him, clearly surprised by Sirius's appraisal. Peter nodded, not really knowing what to say.

After that, Sirius went back to listening to James and Remus argue about spells, but he didn't miss the smile Remus was now wearing.

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><p><strong>AN: Don't forget to review. They made it real easy to do so. See the box right below, put words in it and send them to me! I really appreciate any feedback! Till next time!<strong>

**~Craz**


	29. Chapter TwentyNine: Dangerous Decisions

**An: Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter. I would like to thank everyone who is reading this and who reviewed. I think we're getting really close to the end of this story. Maybe just three or four more chapters. Anyway, enjoy. **

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Nine: Dangerous Decisions <strong>

Regulus was sitting in the Slytherin common room thinking of all the reasons that he was dreading April. It was rainy, the snow was gone and it meant that the end of the year was fast approaching. He supposed that the real reason he was dreading it was because of the spring holidays. He had never minded the month before, but his mother had written to him and asked him to come home for the holidays and he really didn't want to go home. He looked down at the letter again.

_Regulus, I ask you to not tell your brother of this arrangement. His presence is not needed at home and he will only cause further embarrassment for the family._

He wanted to rip it up, to throw it in the fire and pretend that he had never read the awful thing. Didn't his mother see what she was doing to her sons? Didn't she see that Regulus was trying to cling to Sirius who kept slipping further and further out of his reach? He only wanted his brother, who had been his best friend, and she was keen on preventing that from happening.

She couldn't know though. She couldn't know how Regulus felt. If she did, she wouldn't be putting him in this situation. She was his mother. Maybe he could talk to her. When he was at home, he could sit her down and tell her how he felt.

But that didn't help his current situation.

Should he tell Sirius or not.

If he didn't tell him, and then Sirius found out, he didn't know how Sirius would react. Although, he knew that it would not be pleasant. He would either be angry with their mum or at Regulus. Or, and this was even worse than anger, he could act apathetically. Regulus hated it when Sirius pretended that he didn't care.

If he did tell Sirius, and he decided to come home as well, then he would have his mother to answer to. And what would she say to Sirius? Would she say that she hadn't wanted him home? Would she call him an embarrassment and send him back to school?

He didn't know what to do. But either way looked like bad option for him.

He supposed that he could write back and say that he didn't want to come home, make up some rubbish about a school assignment that he had to do. Tell her that no one ever goes home for the spring holidays. But he didn't think that would make a difference to her. If she wanted him home, he was going home.

"Black!" Someone called from near the stone wall that led out of the Slytherin common room. Regulus turned and saw Rabastan and some others standing there beckoning him over. He sighed again and tucked his mother's letter into his pocket.

"I'm coming." He said dejectedly.

"Wait!" A different voice spoke up. "Where are you boys going?"

Everyone turned to look at Daniel Baker who was standing near the fireplace with a book in his hand. Rabastan gave him an odd look. It wasn't as though it was exactly a secret among select Slytherins. With a majority of their fathers working for the raiders, and almost all of them being purebloods elitists, very few of them were unconnected. And Rabastan knew for a fact that Daniel Baker was connected. His older brother, Alec Baker, was a raider and had been so for about a year. Daniel, of all people, knew what they were up to.

"Is anyone going to answer me?" He asked, looking entirely at ease, even though he had the whole common room's attention.

"We're going to the library." Rabastan said. "We're working on some homework."

"It's almost lights out." Daniel said, looking at the large clock hanging above the fireplace. "Why don't you just work on your homework here?"

"I think we'll still go to the library." Rabastan said.

"Regulus," Daniel said, turning to face the younger boy. "Why don't you stay here with me?" Regulus looked between Daniel and Rabastan. He didn't know what was going on, but he really didn't want to go out with Rabastan so he nodded and walked over to Daniel.

"Suit yourself." Rabastan muttered, and then he left the room with Avery and Evan.

"Why were you going to go with them?" Daniel asked, taking his seat again. Regulus took the chair next to him and shrugged.

"It's not like I've got much of a choice." Daniel looked at Regulus with an emotion that Regulus couldn't place. He looked pained, but it was different.

"You always have a choice." He said.

"But I don't!" Regulus said. He didn't know why this fifth year was so interested in him all of a sudden. He had never spoken to him before. Daniel shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Listen Regulus," He said quietly. "I know what it's like." Daniel looked down at the green carpet and continued. "You want to be accepted, you want to be liked. You look at those who _don't _think like them, who _don't_ behave how they're told and you see how they're treated, you hear what's being said about them, about the blood traitors and the Muggle-borns, and you don't want any of that directed at you. You want them to like you, so that you feel like you belong. You need them to like you so you feel safe." Here he looked up at Regulus and smiled sadly. "We've both seen the alternative."

Regulus looked at the fifth year and thought of Carlee. His brother's friends, Daniel's little sister. A girl that he didn't know. Was that who Daniel was referring to? Regulus didn't know what had happened to her. Maybe he was referring to his brother and sister who had died. The two Bakers that Professor Dumbledore had spoken about before the feast at the beginning of the year.

It really didn't matter who Daniel was referring to. Regulus knew that he understood.

"My mum doesn't want Sirius to come home." Regulus said softly. He pulled out the letter again and handed it to Daniel. He didn't read it, but he nodded. "I don't want her to hate me too." He whispered that. It was the first time he was confessing it out loud, the first time that he allowed himself to even think what he knew to be true. His mother hated Sirius. She hated how he made up his own mind about things, how he didn't believe everything she told him, how he questioned everything, how he rebelled, ho he befriended a lower class of witches and wizards and how he consorted with blood traitors. She hated that he liked being in Gryffindor and that he wasn't proud to be a Black.

Sirius had tried for a long time to please her before he had given up. He had tried to hold his tongue around guests and talk little of his friends, but he just couldn't do it. He couldn't be a perfect son, he couldn't be what she wanted him to be. He couldn't, but Regulus could. He could be who she wanted, he could say the things she wanted him to say, be friends with the sort of people she wanted him to be friends with, support the things she supported, look down on the things she despised.

But did he want to?

"Daniel?" Regulus knew he had the older boys attention, but he wasn't looking at him. He was focused on the flames. "Are you going to be a raider?"

"No." Daniel answered without hesitating.

"Why not?"

"I don't want to be." He answered simply.

"But it's never that easy." Regulus said. Daniel shook his head.

"No, it's not. But you always have a choice." He repeated. "And sometimes, there is no easy answer. No way to go about without hurting someone." He laughed bitterly. "Someone almost always gets hurt." He handed the letter back to Regulus. "Just makes sure that whatever you choose, it's something that you can live with. You don't get second chances, Regulus."

oOoOo

**It has been a quiet last few months** **and, true to their usual pattern, the raiders have** **decided that now that everyone has gone back to their normal lives, now that everyone has let their guard down, that they will attack again. But this attack was different. This attack caused quite a stir within the Ministry itself because that was where this attack took place. On entering the Ministry of Magic at dawn, Security personnel, Malcolm Terris was more than a little alarmed to find three masked men laying corpses near the base of the fountain in the Atrium. He slipped away without the men noticing him** **and was able to contact with some of the Aurors, but the masked men were gone before the they arrived. **

**Upon further inspection, the three bodies were identified as Phyllis Challenor, Barrington Parfitt and Gordon Bishop. They are three of the fourteen Mugle-borns that had gone missing since January. That leaves seven of the victims still missing.**

**Unexpectedly, not all the reactions to the scene were that of horror and disgust. **

"**I'm not saying that the raiders are going about it the right way, but they do have the right idea." Duane Nott, who works as an Obliviator for the Department of Magical Catastrophes, said when asked about the most recent raid. "When given the choice between a world tainted by bad blood and a world free from all the threats that Muggle-borns impose on us _true_ witches and wizards, I find myself leaning towards the latter option. And if you're being honest with yourself, I think you'll find that you do too."**

**Duane Nott's opinion of the raid is not shared by all. A small protest has actually formed inside the Ministry** **asking to have a word with the minister. No one knows if the Minster is going to make an appearance, but everyone is hoping that he will have some comforting words. Among the crowd of protesters is Alastor** **Moody, the head of the Auror department.**

"**It's an outrage." He** **said when asked about the murders. "Some witches and wizards going around, making out like they're better than the rest of us, playing God and we're supposed to sit back and let them get away with it? The Minister isn't going to be able to push this under the rug. And I'm going to make sure he doesn't try to."**

**Joyce Camry, is a Muggle-born who was taken by the raiders during the same attack that today's victims were taken. Though she was lucky enough to escape their capture along with a couple others, and is now here at the Ministry participating in the protest as well. **

"**It's not really a protest." Joyce said, looking very brave for someone who witnessed the cruelty of these raiders first hand. "We've got nothing to protest. The ministry didn't cause the death of those three people. We're here because we want answers, we want the Minister to tell us what he's going to do. We're tired of the Ministry not doing anything. They need to** **invest time and resources into finding out how to capture these raiders, how to make all of this stop. We're tired of being afraid all the time."**

Lily put down the Prophet and looked along the table. The older students were all whispering quietly to each other, some looked like they were in heated debate and others, Lily assumed they were Muggle-borns, were holding their heads in their hands or resting their heads on the table and trying to block it all out. They were the ones who were going to have to face this sooner. Just like Joyce, they were going to have to join the real world and they were going to be in real danger. Here, at Hogwarts, it was easy to forget that there were true horrors happening outside the walls, but some of the students couldn't pretend much longer.

"This is just awful." Mary said. "Just awful." Lily didn't think she needed to voice her agreement. Instead she just stared down at the picture of Joyce and some others that she didn't know. She wondered briefly if she would be part of that group, if she would be brave enough to join them.

"Mary?" Savanna put a stop to Lily's pondering. "Is that your owl?"

"Hopefully." She said. "I haven't heard from my dad in ages." The owl was hers, and the letter was from her father.

A little ways down the table, James was getting a letter of his own.

"What does it say?" Sirius asked.

"She's safe." James said. "And she has no clue how anything happened, so I shouldn't bother asking her." He shook his head. "What use is it having a mum in the D.M.L.E if she won't tell you anything?"

"It's scary, isn't it?" Remus asked. "They got inside of the Ministry without anyone noticing." James didn't want to think about that. He didn't want to think about what that could mean, so instead he changed the topic to Quidditch.

"You know what's not fair, and completely unrelated?" He asked, tucking the Prophet out of sight. "I never got to play in the last Quidditch match."

"Yes you did." Sirius said without missing a beat. "You were doing brilliantly too until you got hit with a bludger."

"I _know_ that I played." James sighed. "But I don't remember playing, so it feels like I practiced really hard and all that and it was all for nothing. For me there was no final game, there was only the last practice." Remus shook his head.

"You'll get to play next year, James." He sighed. "Don't worry about it too much."

"We'll play this summer." Sirius said. "We can re-create that last match."

"You just want to hit James in the head." Remus said, drowning his bacon in syrup.

"Yes I do." Sirius replied unabashed.

"It's revolting that you do that." Peter said, pointing to Remus's plate and pulling a face. "You shouldn't put syrup on bacon. It's just odd."

"It really is, Remus." James agreed. "Syrup is sugar, why would you put it on your bacon?"

"I'll eat almost anything," Sirius said. "And even I think it's weird."

Remus picked up a piece of bacon and put it in his mouth, looking at his friends while he did so. "You don't know what you're missing."

oOoOo

Lily was in the Library, trying to finish her homework when she drifted off into a different world. It was late afternoon, if she was at home right now then she would be helping her sister to set the table. The whole house would smell like one of her mother's infamous pies and there would be a bouquet of flowers in the vase on the table because Lily's dad always brought flowers home on Friday. She missed Fridays with her family.

"What are you thinking about, Lily?" Severus asked, looking up from his History of Magic essay to find her staring out the window.

"Nothing." Lily sighed. "Well, not really nothing."

"I didn't think so."

"My family I suppose. I miss them."

"School will be over before you know it and then you'll be with them."

"I know." She twirled her quill around. "And we've got exams to keep us busy, but I still miss them." She looked over at her friends and frowned. "I wrote Petunia a letter and she wrote back to me."

"That's nice." Severus said. He didn't like Lily's sister, but he didn't want to argue with her about this, so he said what he thought she wanted him to.

"I suppose." She sighed again.

"Is it not good?"

"She said that she missed me and she wished I would come home."

"Isn't that what your mum writes?" He asked, not seeing what was wrong.

"No, my mum says, 'I miss you and I wish you were here.' Petunia said she wished I would come home." Severus still didn't get it.

"And…" He prompted.

"She's asking me to give up Hogwarts." Lily sighed.

"Did she say that in her letter?" He asked with eyes wide.

"Not exactly, but she is." Lily shook her head and put a smile on her face. "But it's fine. I'm going home for holidays and I'll see everyone then. There's no use in worrying about it now."

"You're going home for Easter?" Severus asked.

"Yes, didn't I tell you that? Mum is having the whole family over and it should be fun."

"Oh." He tried to hide his disappointment with a smile. "Well, that sounds like fun."

"Only one more day." She said. And then she turned back to her textbook. "And then I can talk to Petunia."

"You know why she's angry all the time, don't you?" Severus said.

"No. I don't." Lily said. "If I did, then we wouldn't argue all the time. I could fix it if I knew the problem."

"She's jealous of you." Severus said. "You can't fix that."

"Sev, that's not a very nice thing to say." She said, looking up from her book. "Petunia is not jealous of me."

"Yes she is, Lily. She wishes that she could have magic, but she can't. She's jealous."

"But it's not my fault." Lily said. "I didn't do anything that prevented her from getting magic."

"I don't think she blames you for her not being a witch." Severus said. He was a bit surprised that she was letting him say all of this. She usually changed the subject when they started talking about Petunia. "She blames you for _being_ a witch."

Lily looked affronted. "I was born a witch! It's not something that I can undo."

"I think Petunia is petty too." Severus said with a shrug.

"Don't say things like that." Lily said. "Just stop."

"I was only-"

"No." Lily said. "It's none of your business, Sev. Let's just do our homework. It's the last day before the holidays. I don't want to argue with you now."

"Lily-"

"No, Sev. Don't talk about Petunia like that. She's my sister."

"I'm sorry." He said. She nodded tersely and they went back to their homework.

oOoOo

The Marauders had walked into the Gryffindor common room to find all of their roommates gathered around Carl and Stephan, who were playing chess. They were able to slip up the stairs unnoticed and were now taking advantage of their rarely empty dormitory.

They had the work-in-progress map out and a stack of books open on James' bed. Peter had a quill in hand and was drawing a part of the castle as James dictated what he should be drawing over his shoulder, Peter was trying very hard to not mess things up and Sirius was arguing with Remus about one of the secret passages.

"It turned both ways, left and right." Sirius said. "Tell him James."

"It didn't go left and right. It went left and straight."

"You're going to want to make that wall just a bit longer, Pete." James said, oblivious to Remus and Sirius's argument.

"I don't think so, James. This wall was shorter because the staircase started here."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Remus. James?" Sirius tried again to get his attention.

"You're right. Don't forget about the broom cupboard there." James pointed to a spot on the map.

"James?"

"I wasn't going to." Peter assured him.

"Alright, I was just saying."

"JAMES?"

"What?" James asked, turning towards Sirius.

"I'm right, aren't I?"

"About what?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"The passage we found last night, it went left and right."

"Yeah sure." James paused just long enough for a smug smile to form on Sirius's lips. "If right means straight." James said, turning his attention back towards the map.

"I told you." Remus said. "Now, grab a book and look up tracing charms."

"I could have sworn it when right."

"That was the one we found on Monday." Remus said, handing him a book.

"Oh! That's right. I like that one." Sirius said. "It's useful too."

"I suppose, if we ever need to get from Transfiguration to the kitchens in a hurry."

"Like I said, it's useful."

"What are you doing?" The four boys jumped and looked over at the door. Frank stood in the frame with an amused expression. "Planning a prank?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Sirius said. Then he pulled the curtains around James' bed shut. Remus and James gathered up all the books while Sirius and Peter picked up the quills and folded the map. All the books ended up stuffed under James' blankets and the map went under his pillow. When everything was out of view, Sirius opened the curtains again. "What's up, Frank?" As though their behavior was completely normal.

"Alright, I won't ask."

"Ask what?"

"I just came up here for my chess pieces." Frank said, walking over to his trunk. "I really don't care what you're up to."

"Yes you do." James said. "But thanks for not prying."

"The way I see it," Frank said, digging through his trunk. "I'll find out whatever it is you're up to eventually, yeah?"

"Maybe." Remus said.

"Probably not." James amended.

"Found 'em." He said, holding up a bag of chess pieces. "I need a new set though. These used to be my cousin's and he was awful at chess. None of the pieces trust me."

"Maybe it's not your cousin's fault." Sirius said.

"Maybe not." Frank smirked. "You want to find out after I beat Carl?"

"Yes." Sirius said. "So, on my behalf, Remus challenges you to a game of chess." Everyone in the room looked at him and he shrugged. "I am not very good at chess, you could probably beat me, but Remus is good."

"Remus?" Frank asked.

"Sure." He said. "I'll be down in a little while." Then Frank left.

"I'm good at chess too." James said, pulling the books out from under his blanket and putting them under his bed.

"Remus beats you." Peter said. "Almost every time."

"He does not."

"I do, and you know it." Remus laughed.

oOoOo

A small bell announced the arrival of an unknown wizard at the Hogs' Head Pub. Most of the wizard's face was hidden under his hood, which came down very low and cast a shadow over the only part of his face that was exposed. He walked slowly into the pub, leaving his hood up and walking towards a man who was sitting at a corner table.

"You're late." The man at the table said, looking up when the hooded man stopped in front of him.

"I was held up at the school." The man said quietly. He took a seat and held out his hand. "Please, sir."

"I don't know why I should give it to you."

"Augustus, please." The man said. "I have to hear from her."

"Very well." Augustus Rookwood tossed an envelope on the table. "Now for your part of the bargain."

"The plan is going as it should." He picked up the envelope and tucked it away in his cloak. "Everything is in order."

"It's taking too long." Augustus said. "You said that you would have it finished by now."

"I didn't take certain things into account." The man said.

"What kind of things?"

"Children." The man almost growled. "Certain children, blabbing their father's secrets in the school corridors."

"They're simply children. They shouldn't pose as that much of an obstacle."

"You would be surprised."

"I highly doubt that." Augustus took his wand out of his coat pocket. "Now listen closely. If you want your wife to live, you won't make me visit again. The Dark Lord is not a patient man." He looked up, under the man's hood. "You've already lost your son."

"I will not fail him."

"Good." Augustus stood. "Though I do believe we want this competed for two very different reasons. I would think about your options if I were you. The Dark Lord will keep his word and give you your wife back, but your future safety cannot be guaranteed unless you become a loyal and dedicated servant."

"He promised us-"

"He said he would give her back." Augustus interrupted. "He didn't say he wouldn't take her again. Just something to think about."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Don't forget to review!<strong>


	30. Chapter Thirty: Equal Magic

**AN: This update took a while. You can all blame Doctor Who for that. I spent the last two weeks watching 6 of the 7 seasons and had very little motivation to write. But I finally finished this chapter, and I have started the next. Hopefully it won't take me this long for the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirty: Equal Magic<strong>

When the Hogwarts express came into view, Lily sighed with relief. The sight of the train had always been a welcome one but she didn't think that she had ever been so happy to see it. Not even the first time when she didn't know what was waiting for her at the end of the ride, when she was so excited to go to the castle that Severus had been trying to describe to her for years.

Okay, maybe she wasn't _that _happy to see it. But it was a pretty close second.

She no longer remembered why she had so desperately wanted to go home, why she was so keen to talk to her sister and to see the rest of her family. She actually wished that she had just stayed at Hogwarts.

It had been truly awful. Her grandmother had arrived a few days before Lily and she had spent a lot of time with Petunia. Lily's older sister had taken it upon herself to inform their grandmother that Lily liked being at school more than she liked being at home and she just wasn't the same since she had started attending there.

Of course, Lily's family didn't know that she went to Hogwarts, they didn't even know that she was a witch. They were all under the impression that Lily attended St. Catherine's boarding school for girls.

Lily had just walked through the front door when her grandmother, arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowed, asked her why she liked her school more than her own sister. Lily, taken aback, denied this claim without hesitation.

"Well, that's not how Petunia feels." Her grandmother said. "What's wrong with the school your sister goes to anyway? She gets to come home every day and visit me."

"Mother!" Lily's mum said, pulling Lily into a hug. "Lily's just got home and it's the holidays for goodness sake. Leave her alone."

"I was only asking." Her grandmother said, not even slightly ruffled. "And since when do I have to keep my opinions to myself?"

And she hadn't stopped there. Later that night at the dinner table she spoke again.

"Really Lily," She said, leaning on the table slightly and tilting her head at her youngest granddaughter. "What is this school of yours offering you that Petunia's school can't?"

"That's enough, mother." Lily's mum tried again.

A whole week. A whole week she had had to put up with comments like that. And what was even more frustrating was Petunia. Lily had tried to talk to her after dinner on her first night home, but Petunia told her that she was very tired and needed to get some sleep. The next morning, their grandmother was raving about how even when Lily was home, she didn't even make time for her sister. And as Lily stood before her grandmother, taking her rants as well as she could, she could see Petunia standing in the corner of the room, trying her best to look forlorn. Lily wasn't a fool though, not that she thought her grandmother was, but Lily could see the corners of Petunia's mouth threatening to turn up. Petunia was enjoying this.

And that was why the train was such a welcome sight. It meant no more Petunia, no more grandmother, no more apologies from her mum.

Lily climbed onto the train and started searching for a compartment. It wasn't difficult, almost all of the compartments were empty because almost no one went home for the holiday. She passed one and saw a boy leaning on the window. He looked completely miserable. Lily was almost positive that the boy was Sirius Black's younger brother. She almost went in and asked if she could join him, but she didn't. She walked past a few more empty compartments. She was trying to find someone to share a one with. The prospect of riding all the way to Hogwarts alone was not a good one. She was almost sure that she would spend all the alone time sulking and thinking of mean things she could say to Petunia the next time she saw her.

As luck would have it, she got beckoned into the next compartment she passed by Cleo Downing, a fellow Gryffindor.

"Hullo, Lily!" The seventh year girl said brightly. "Glad I spotted you. It'd be awfully lonely riding back… well, alone." She laughed.

"Yes," Lily agreed, as she levitated her trunk up onto the rack. "Thank you for inviting me in."

"Oh, don't mention it." Cleo said, shrugging off her thanks. "How was your holiday?" She asked, after Lily had taken a seat opposites her.

"Erm-" Lily hesitated before deciding she was going to lie. "It was fine. It was nice to see everyone. And yours?"

"They were wonderful." Cleo said, not noticing anything wrong with Lily's answer. "Ever since mum's been back, she's all for living life to the full. I have to admit that scared me a bit at first. She started talking about climbing mountains and traveling the world." Lily smiled at Cleo. "But she realized that climbing a mountain takes quite a bit of preparation. I think she really just decided that she didn't want to do anything while I was still at school. It should make for an interesting summer though."

"I'm sure it will." Lily said.

"I got to see Joyce too!" She said, bouncing in her seat a bit. "Do you remember her?" Lily nodded. "She said that Alaster Moody, the head of the Auror Department, is keen on getting her in and out of the training program as quickly as he can. He said that she'll make a great auror."

"Isn't she scared?" Lily asked. It was no secret that Joyce had wanted to fight against the raiders. She was quoted in the newspaper speaking against them, she had been kidnapped only weeks before as well, and was one of the only people to have escaped the raiders.

"I don't think Joyce knows how to be scared." Cleo said, rolling her eyes. "What about you, Lily?"

"I try not to think about it too much." Lily confessed. She wished she could take it back after she had said it. It was awfully insensitive, Cleo's mum had been taken. It didn't matter that she had been found mostly unharmed. Not thinking about the raiders wasn't really an option for Cleo. But she didn't appear to be upset by this.

"That's probably best." She said instead. "For now at least." Lily didn't know what she meant by that, but Cleo changed the subject to school before Lily could ask.

oOoOo

James and Sirius's footsteps echoed off the walls of the corridor as they raced away from Filch, who was trying his hardest to catch them.

"You stop right now!" Filch shouted as the boys disappeared into a new corridor and momentarily left his sight. "I mean it!" He shouted. "I'll get you both expelled for this."

"Very persuasive that one." Sirius laughed as he pushed James behind the tapestry and then ducked into the hidden room himself. "Does he expect us to listen to him when he says things like that?"

"Probably." James said, breathing heavily.

"What's the matter, James?" Sirius chuckled. "A bit out of breath? You sound as bad as him."

"Oh, shut up." James leaned against the little door. "I think he's gone now." He pulled open the small door and stepped into the corridor. He peeked his head around the tapestry and checked to make sure Filch had left. "He's gone." James said, walking out into the open.

"We should have just taken the cloak." Sirius said, walking over to James. "It would have been easier than running away."

"Remus needed the cloak."

"I can't believe we did all that just so Remus could-"

"Shh!" James said, looking around. "It'd all be for nothing if someone overheard you. And we were just keeping Filch away, and by keeping Filch away-"

"We kept Mrs. Norris away. I know." Sirius shoved James. "Did you ever wonder why it's _Mrs._ Norris. Who's married to the cat-" James had clapped his hand over Sirius's mouth and pulled him against the wall, behind a suit of armor. "Hmph!"

"Shh!" James said for the second time. "Listen!" He hissed.

"Stupid kids…Wandering about… If they muck this up for me, ah! I can't believe- don't want to believe-" Professor Seresin walked around the corner of the corridor, looking at his feet and muttering to himself. "I just wanted to be a teacher…a simple life… bloody fools. Do they think- how can they think… And my wife…"

Sirius pulled James' hand away from his mouth and pushed himself further behind the suit of armor. Professor Seresin walked by them, still muttering. When he was out of sight, the boys came out from their hiding place.

"Should we follow him?" James asked.

"Remus has the cloak." Sirius said. "And it was probably nothing, James."

James no longer believed that Professor Seresin was the villain here, he didn't know what he was up to, but he didn't think that it was his fault. "Alright, let's just finish setting up the prank."

"Okay." Sirius shrugged, looking as though he didn't care either way.

"We don't even know where he's going." James said, mostly to himself. "Let's just leave it for now. We'll work it out later."

"Come on then. We have to meet up with Remus in the library."

oOoOo

"I can't believe they did that." Mary laughed. The girls were walking to Potions and talking about the Marauders' latest prank.

"Don't talk about it." Lily said. "If they heard you, it'll only encourage them."

"It was funny." Mary said. "It's not like anyone got hurt."

"It was childish." Lily said.

"Well, we are all chil-" Savanna stopped midsentence when she saw the look on Lily's face. "It was just for a laugh, Lily."

"It was disrespectful to the school."

"Was not, Evans." Sirius said with a smug smile on his face. "They needed some good exercise."

"They're suits of armor, they don't need exercise."

"They weren't complaining." James said, walking up on Sirius's right.

"But the professors were." Lily countered. "How many detentions did you two get?"

"Us, three, actually." Remus sighed, sounding only slightly remorseful and looking almost pleased with himself. "And Professor McGonagall only gave us a double detention actually."

"Remus?" Mary laughed. "You helped?"

"Remus always helps." James said, clapping his friend on the back. "He's just sneakier than us and usually doesn't get caught." Lily rolled her eyes and rushed into the classroom, sitting down next to Severus and plastering a smile on her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, barely looking up from his textbook.

"Nothing." She said. "Why would you think that something's wrong."

"Potter's looking at you, and you're smiling too widely." She huffed.

"They made suits of armor dance round the corridor." Lily said.

"That's because Potter is childish." Severus said, closing his book and looking up at Lily.

"I know that. And it wasn't just Potter, it was Black and Lupin too."

"They aren't any better than, Potter."

"I didn't say they were." Lily said. "Though Remus usually is." Severus shrugged. "You don't think so?"

"He's more tolerable than the other two."

Lily laughed. "You don't get along with a lot of people, do you?"

"Settle down, class." Every head whirled around as the door slammed shut. "Before you ask, Professor Slughorn is ill and I'll be looking after this class."

"Seresin?" Lily muttered under her breath.

"Great." She heard Severus murmur.

"What?" She whispered. "What's wrong with Seresin?"

"He barely teaches us anything in Defense. Slughorn is a fool, but he's a good potions master."

"It's only for one day." She said, slightly disappointed. She hadn't shared any of the rumors involving Seresin with Severus. Mostly, she told herself, because he didn't care about gossip and rumors. He thought it petty and a waste of time.

And partially because Lily just didn't want to. She didn't know why, but talking to Severus about raiders just didn't seem right. It was odd, because she talked about it with everyone else she knew, even Potter, but Severus didn't bring it up and neither did she.

"Settle down now, you are all supposed to make the 'Swelling Solution' which can be found on page 45 of your books, so get started. If you need any help, just call me over. I'm not as good at potions as your usual Professor, but I know how to make a Swelling Solution." He chuckled, though Lily thought it sounded strained, and moved to sit behind Professor Slughorn's desk. Lily also thought that he was a bit fidgety. Not so fidgety that someone who wasn't looking for something to be unusual would notice, but Lily was looking, so she did.

James noticed too, from his seat on the other side of the room. Seresin was moving his hands too much. He started sorting through papers and potion ingredients on Slughorn's desk, moving them all to the edge, and then he put his own bag on the desk and pulled out a stack of parchment and a quill. As the students all went up to the store cupboard and gathered the necessary ingredients, Seresin was marking papers.

James was disappointed that when the class had ended, all Seresin had done was mark papers. He hadn't said anything or done anything that would help him in piece together what was really going on.

"Well, there's no homework today! So go outside and enjoy the nice spring air for me, would you?" He asked the class as they all packed up their things to leave. "I'm going to be stuck inside marking your essays all night."

"I don't think you should have set the essay." Sirius said. "Then we would have been able to enjoy the nice weather together."

"Nice try, Sirius. But your education is more important to me than a few extra hours of fresh air."

"It's your health that you're gambling with." Sirius said with a shrug. Seresin laughed, putting the essays into his bag and re-arranging Slughorn's desk how it had been.

"I appreciate the concern." He said, picking up a bottle of some unknown substance and pointing it at Sirius. "Maybe I'll have to grade the essays outside." Know almost everyone left in the classroom was looking at Sirius, waiting for his retort.

"Or…" Sirius said. "You could just chuck the essays away and pretend you never set them." James shook his head and looked back at the Professor. He was still arranging the desk.

"It seems to me that you are not too keen on me marking _your_ essay. Would that be correct?"

"I have everyone's best interest at heart, actually." Sirius said.

"If you would like to redo the essay and turn it in tomorrow, I would allow that. All you have to do is ask." James saw Seresin close his bag and pick it up by the handles. "Otherwise, I'm going to mark it as it is."

Sirius was quite for a moment and then let out an over dramatic sigh. "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt to redo it."

"Alright then Sirius, I won't mark the one I have from you."

"Thank you, Professor." Sirius said.

"Well, come on everyone. Outside, the lot of you." He started ushering everyone out of the classroom. James shoved his book into his bag and took one more glance at Slughorn's desk. He didn't know why he did it, his eyes just happened to fall upon the desk. Something was wrong. The desk had been put back in order, but it looked emptier than usual. James shrugged it off and pulled his bag onto his shoulder and turned around, bumping into Seresin as did. There was a muffled clattering noise and James almost dropped his bag.

"Excuse me, Professor." He said. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." Seresin stumbled back a few steps and then caught his balance. He shook his head and smiled at James.

"That's alright. Off you go." James started towards the door, but looked back towards Slughorn's desk just one last time and it suddenly hit him why the desk looked emptier.

"He took them!" James said a few minutes later to Sirius, Remus and Peter as the four of them settled down under a birch tree near the lake. "He was pretending to put them back where they were but he put them in his bag."

"Did you see him put them in his bag?" Remus asked.

James was tempted to say yes, but he didn't. "No. But I heard them in it!"

After months of theories and schemes, the other Marauders had lost interest in their Defense professor. Nothing had happened since he had caught them back in December and it was now almost May. Their memories of the night had shifted into something more innocent that what it had been, and they no longer believed that Professor Seresin was up to anything dark or dangerous any more than they believed that Hagrid was a raider.

"You heard potion ingredients in his bag?" Sirius asked. "Did they say something?"

"I heard the bottles clinking together in there." James said, shoving Sirius into the tree.

"Clinking?" Sirius laughed.

"Yes, the glass containers clinked together." He sighed. "Why would I make this up?"

"You wouldn't." Remus said. "But you've been looking for him to do something like this. I'm just saying that no one saw him take anything, not even you. Maybe you're letting your imagination get the better of you."

"I'm not!" James said, throwing his hands up. "There were bottles all over Slughorn's desk when he came in the classroom, and now there are only a few."

"There weren't that many bottles on his desk." Peter said, James glared at him.

"Yes there were."

"Were either of you really paying any attention to what was on Slughorn's desk?" Sirius laughed.

"Sod off." James muttered, standing up and walking away.

"Where are you going?" Peter asked.

"To find some new friends."

"Good luck." Sirius laughed.

James was walking towards the castle, intending to go up to his dormitory and mull over everything he knew about Seresin or go find McGonagall and find out what was wrong with Slughorn when he saw a flash of red in his peripheral vision.

"Lily!" He called out, running up to her. She turned around slowly. James grimaced when he saw Severus standing next to her.

"What do you want, Potter?" She asked rather tersely.

"I wanted to talk to you." He said, eyeing the Slytherin.

"So talk." Lily said.

"Privately."

"I'm sure she'd rather eat dirt, Potter."

"No one asked you, Snivilus."

"Well no one asked you to come over here-"

"That's enough." Lily said. "Potter, you can talk to me here or not at all. It's your choice." James sighed.

"If I must." He didn't know how to word this without Severus noticing something, but then again he didn't really have any right to assume that Lily hadn't told him everything they suspected about Seresin. They were good friends. "Did you notice anything strange in the last hour?" For a brief moment, Lily looked very confused. Then comprehension dawned on her face and she looked over at Severus and then at the ground.

"What's so strange about a swelling solution, Potter?" Severus sneered. "Judging by the size of your head, I thought you'd be very familiar with that one."

"Nice one." James sneered. "Did you?" He asked Lily again.

"No." She said. "It was just potions class." Then she grabbed Severus's arm and walked away. James knew she was lying, but took pleasure in the fact that Lily was keeping it a secret from Severus. So he smirked at their retreating figures and went back to the tree with his friends.

oOoOo

Lily and Severus were sitting in the courtyard playing chess, about an hour after potions class when Severus asked Lily what James had meant when he had asked if she had noticed anything strange.

"I don't know." Lily sighed. "Do you really expect me to understand anything Potter says?"

"He seemed to think you would understand."

"He also seems to think that the whole world should bow down at the sight of him." Severus snickered. "Check mate." She added, moving her bishop so there was nowhere for his king to go. Severus flicked his king over in defeat.

"If you had to guess," He said, setting up his chess pieces for a new game. "What would you think he meant."

"Why do you care so much?" She asked, getting unnecessarily upset. "He just asked if I noticed anything strange. Maybe that's what he wanted to know."

"But why would he ask that? It doesn't make sense."

Lily got an idea and hit her forehead with her palm. "He was probably talking about the suits of armor!" She said shaking her head. "Asking me if I noticed them."

"Oh." Severus considered this for a moment. "He probably was."

"I don't know why I didn't think of it before." Lily said. She knew that's not what James had been talking about. They were quiet for a while, except for when they told their chess pieces where to move.

"Knight to E5."

"I wouldn't have done that." Lily giggled as she moved her own knight to E5 also and watched in mild amusement as her knight shattered his. He brushed the pieces off the board. "Sev?"

"Hmm?"

Lily bit her lip. "Did you read the Prophet this morning?" Severus's eyes flicked up to hers for a moment and then back down to the chessboard.

"No."

"The front page was almost all about Joyce Camry. She was in Gryffindor last year, a chaser on the Quidditch team." Severus nodded. "Do you remember how she was kidnapped a few months ago?" He nodded again. "Well she and some others started a group called _Equal Magic_, that's what the article was mostly about. The group is really some kind of support system. They protest about the raiders and escort the Muggle borns to reassure them. Don't you think that's a good idea?"

"Sure." Severus said. "They should be careful though. With all the deaths, they might be targeted."

"Someone has to stand up to the raiders." Lily shrugged.

"I suppose so."

"What do you mean, you suppose so?" She asked sharply. "If no one stops them then they are going to continue to kill people, people like me."

"I know. They do need to be stopped." He said quickly. "People just need to be careful. They're powerful, that's all."

"They're cowards." Lily said. Severus didn't say anything to that. "Don't you think?" She prompted.

"I suppose." He shrugged. "Did you finish the herbology essay?" Lily sighed, noticing his obvious effort to change the subject.

"Yes. I've had it done for a few days."

"Oh." He said. "Queen to D3."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Don't forget to review! I love hearing what you all have to say. :D<strong>


	31. Chapter Thirty-one: The Note

**AN: Hey everyone! I was really happy with the response the last chapter got. I got more reviews on that chapter than the last few chapters and it made me really happy. :D**

**Usually I answer reviews privately, but I got some questions from some people not logged in, I'll answer them at the end of the chapter. So, enjoy! **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirty-One: The Note<strong>

Regulus was sitting in the library, in the middle of the divination section, hiding from Rabastan and Evan. He knew they were looking for him because Daniel had told him during lunch, so as soon as classes were over, he ran up to the library under the pretense of getting some homework done and hid in one of the only sections of the library that no one ever went to. The other being the History of Magic section although, that wasn't safe enough because occasionally a NEWT student wandered over to finish an essay or to study for an exam. But everybody usually made up their divination homework, so there was no need to actually read anything on the subject. Here he was safe.

He honestly didn't know what Rabastan and Evan wanted from him, but he didn't really care to find out. He had had enough of them and wanted to be left alone. Daniel had been very understanding about the situation that Regulus had found himself in and allowed him to sit with him in the common room or at meal times. Daniel helped Regulus with his homework and they talked about Quidditch occasionally, but most of the time Regulus just used him to avoid people and Daniel seemed to be perfectly content with that.

Regulus had first been wary of intruding on Daniel's time with friends his own age, but he soon came to realize that the older boy was a loner. He spent all of his time reading in the common room or walking around the castle alone. Regulus had asked him about it once.

"Don't _you_ have any friends?" He had asked after Daniel had made a joke about Regulus's lack of friends.

"I used to." He said. Then he stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at the clock above the fireplace.

"What happened to them?"

"Nothing." Daniel laughed. "They're still around. Look," He pointed across the room. "That's Walden Macnair. And there's Rodolpus, you know him." He sighed. "I just realized how much I really don't like them, I suppose."

"You used to be friends with Rodolpus?" Regulus asked, he was surprised because he had never seen the two boys so much as look at each other.

"Unfortunately." Daniel said.

"But," Regulus tried to go about this again. "You have to still talk to some of your old friends."

"Well," He looked around the common room. "That's Garret over there. I still talk to him. But I don't think he counts."

"Why not?"

"He's my cousin."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Sitting there in the library, hiding in the Divination section, Regulus really wished that he had a friend. The kind of friend that Sirius had been.

Regulus sighed and pulled a book off the shelf at random. Coming to Hogwarts was supposed to be wonderful and fun. It had been at first, for the first few weeks when everything was new and no one was trying to get him to steal from the teachers or other equally horrible things.

Regulus thought back to the Easter holidays. He had been worried that his parents were going to tell him off for asking if Sirius could come home, but they didn't. His father had taken him aside and preached to him the importance of family and appearance. Regulus thought it was a bit stupid but he asked his father that if family was so important, why hadn't they asked Sirius to come home? And what did he think it looked like to others to exclude one's eldest son from family get togethers? Regulus had gone to bed without any supper and with a sore bottom.

His mother had been the same way, only gentler than his father had been. She kept telling him how proud he should be of his heritage and how noble and prestigious the name Black was among the more important people in the wizarding world. She talked about the importance of keeping the family pure and made Regulus repeat the family motto a countless number of times.

"Regulus?" He jumped and turned his head.

"Cis- Narcissa?" Regulus caught himself and refrained from using his older cousin's nickname. Narcissa's face was beet red and she had her hands balled up in fists at her side.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed, quickly slinking into the aisle.

"What are you doing here?" He countered. "It's the library. I'm studying." He showed her the book had had pulled off the shelf as evidence.

"You're a first year." She said, taking the book from him. "You don't even take Divination yet."

"I wanted to get an early start." He shrugged.

"Well, get an early start somewhere else." Her eyes were wide and she looked nervous.

"I was here first." Regulus said.

"I don't ca-"

"Narcissa? Who are you talking to?" She jumped a bit at the sound of the new voice and then glared at Regulus, who now looked very amused.

"Who's that?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Go away." She begged.

"I don't think I will." He smirked.

"Regulus, go away." She hissed.

"No."

"You're such a little pest!"

"Narcissa?" A tall, good-looking boy with rich brown hair sauntered into the aisle. He had a cocky smile on his face and his eye flicked from Regulus to Narcissa. "And we were hoping to be alone." He sighed. Narcissa's face turned even redder and she bit her lip. "Think you can go study in some other aisle, kid?"

Regulus shook his head and, matching the older student's smug smile, asked, "Who are you?"

"Terrence Brimble." He said, his smile leaving his face. "And you'd better leave now before I make you."

"Terrence," Narcissa said quietly. "This is my cousin, Regulus Black." Terrence looked back at him and his face went as red as Narcissa's.

"Something tells me that you two don't want anyone to find out about," He looked between the two of them and smirked. "Whatever is going on here."

"Regulus-"

"Would Aunt Druella not approve of this? And what about my own mother? She always has something to say."

"Regulus, please." Narcissa whispered. "You can't tell anyone."

He picked up his wand and jabbed it in front of him, making a sizzling noise as he did. Narcissa flinched. "Following in Andy's footsteps are you?"

"I'm not going to get burned off the wall." She said, straightening up and looking unsure. "I'm not."

"I hope not." Regulus said, pushing himself off the ground. "Otherwise I'd be left with only Bella for a cousin."

"You won't tell anyone?" She asked, handing him his book back. Regulus laughed and tossed the book onto a shelf.

"I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Thank you." Narcissa said, smiling now. She gave Regulus a quick hug. He pushed her away.

"Don't do anything stupid, Cissy." He said. He walked out of the isle and was half way to the doors when he felt a hand grab his shoulder. He turned around, thinking it was Narcissa.

"There you are, Black." Rabastan sneered. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

oOoOo

Lily found James, and company, playing exploding snap in the common room when she came in from playing chess with Severus. It was close to dinnertime now, so she had been outside with him for a few hours, but she was quite upset when she left. She found herself getting more and more frustrated with him after he had changed the subject from Joyce Camry's _Equal Magic _group to homework, and everything he had said after words just annoyed her. She knew that there was a reason that she and Severus never talked about the raids, she was only now experiencing it for the first time. He seemed completely apathetic towards the whole thing and that really made Lily's blood boil.

"Potter," She said, motioning him over to her. He put his cards down, ignoring his friends' protests, and jogged over.

"Yes?" He said, with what he had to think was a charming smile. Lily, already annoyed from her afternoon with Severus, rolled her eyes.

"What did you notice?" She said, getting straight to the point.

"Is this that part where I pretend not to know what you're talking about?" James asked.

"I only did that because-" He was smirking at her and she stopped midsentence and shook her head. She didn't owe James an explanation for why she hadn't told Severus about her suspicions. So, instead, she told him what she had noticed during Potions that afternoon. "He was fidgety and I don't understand why he gave Sirius an extension on an essay that was due three days ago. That didn't make any sense."

"That conversation was a diversion." James said excitedly.

"A diversion from what?" Lily asked.

"You know all those potion ingredients Slughorn keeps on his desk?" Lily nodded. "He was putting them in his bag."

"What?" She said, a bit louder than she had intended to. "He stole them?" She whispered, looking around to make sure no one was looking at them.

"Yes." James said.

"With all the other people in class? How did I miss that?"

"You were either looking at Sirius or packing up." James said.

"Why were you looking at Seresin?"

"Well," He paused for a moment. Remus, Sirius and Peter hadn't believed him because he hadn't exactly seen Seresin putting the ingredients in his bag. "I didn't see him do it." Lily stared at him blankly.

"Then why do you think he did it?"

"There was about a dozen bottles on the desk when we came in, there always is, right?"

"Yes, Slughorn isn't particularly organized."

"There was only three of four on the desk when I left the room. That I know for certain, I double checked."

"Why would he take things from Slughorn?" Lily said. "I'm sure Slughorn would give him ingredients for a potion if he asked for them."

"He probably didn't want Slughorn to know what he was making." James said.

"I thought you were giving Seresin the benefit of the doubt and assuming he was a victim in this situation."

"I am." James said. "But I don't think that he is entirely innocent."

"This is all very confusing." Lily said. "Nothing makes any sense."

"I know." James said. "But I plan on getting to the bottom of it."

"Well, keep me informed." Lily said as she turned towards the stairs.

"I will." James said, much too excited in Lily's opinion.

"What was that about?" Mary asked her when she reached the stairs.

"Nothing." Lily shrugged.

"Right." She giggled.

"He was just telling me something about Professor Seresin."

"You two are still going on about that?" Mary asked. "He hasn't done anything in months!"

"I know." Lily said.

"Well, don't you think you should leave the poor man alone?"

"It's not like he knows that we're talking about him." Lily shrugged.

"Still," She looked down at James.

"Still nothing." Lily said. "Let's go and work on Charms."

"Alright." The two girls continued up the stairs until they reached the second landing. When Mary opened the door they heard shouting coming from inside the room. This was a bit odd because normally the girls got along really well.

"You had no right!" Someone was shouting. Lily and Mary came in and saw Savanna standing in the middle of the room with her mouth agape and her eyes wide. She was standing next to a red faced Bianca. Lily couldn't see the face of the girl standing across from them, but she could see the long black hair and correctly assumed that it was Arianna, the only other Muggle born girl in the dormitory.

Lily was surprised to find that Arianna was shouting. She had always been very even tempered and avoided conflict on the rare occasions when the girls did get into tiffs.

"I'm sorry, Arianna!" Bianca cried, looking very close to tears.

"Dyna oedd yn fy gefnffordd!" Arianna cried, getting so upset she started speaking Welsh without noticing. "Nid oedd yn eiddo i chi i edrych arnynt! Nid wyf yn mynd i chwilio drwy eich pethau!" To the girls listening in the room, it was impossible to decipher what she was saying. None of them spoke Welsh, and even though Arianna had taught them a few words over the last two years, it was impossible to pick them out at the speed she was talking.

Lily came up and put an arm around Arianna's shoulders. "What happened?" She asked softly.

"Y nodyn oedd yn fy boncyff." The girl cried frantically, grabbing fistfuls of her own hair.

"Arianna," Lily said calmly, while trying to pry her hands out of her hair. "I don't know what you're saying."

"It was in my trunk!" Arianna shouted. "She went through my things!"

"You said I could borrow a pair of your school shoes!" Bianca said feebly. "I didn't mean to find it."

"You read it though!" Arianna shouted. "You read it!"

"And I shouldn't have done that." Bianca said. "I'm sorry."

"Bod yn ddrwg gennych?" Arianna cried, snatching her hands away from Lily and taking a few steps away from her. "You're sorry?" She repeated in English.

"What was it?" Mary asked, walking over to stand by Lily. "A letter or something?"

"No." Bianca said, shaking her head quickly. "I would never read something personal like that." Arianna snorted in disbelief. "I wouldn't." Bianca said.

"What was it?" Mary asked again.

"Nothing." Arianna said. There was a crinkling noise and then Arianna threw a slip of parchment into her trunk and slammed the lid closed. "It was nothing." She glared at Bianca, daring her to contradict her.

"You need to tell someone, Anna." Bianca said. "I don't know why you haven't already."

"No I don't." She said. "And I don't want to talk to you." She walked over to the bathroom and stood in the doorframe for a moment, turning around so she was facing the girls. "Ever again." She said, before slamming the door. Bianca let out a whimper and Savanna, who was still standing next to her, put an arm around her.

"You shouldn't have been going through her things." Savanna said, while rubbing the girls back.

"She said I could barrow her school shoes." Bianca sobbed. "And it was just underneath them. I didn't mean to read it."

"How can you read something accidentally?" Mary asked skeptically.

"One of the words grabbed my attention." Bianca shrugged.

"What was it?" Lily asked, knowing Arianna wouldn't appreciate them talking about whatever it was, but unable to stop herself. "The thing you read, not the word."

"It was a note." Bianca said. "It was just a sentence or two."

"Was it to someone she fancies or something?" Mary asked. "Is that why she was so angry?"

"No, it wasn't anything like that." Bianca said, now wiping the tears off her cheeks. "We shouldn't be talking about it."

"Why do you think she needs to tell someone about it?" Lily asked. Bianca looked at the bathroom door and looked torn. After a momentary internal battle, she walked over to Arianna's trunk, opened the lid and picked out the crumpled parchment that Arianna had just thrown in there. Bianca smoothed it out and, shooting one more look at the door, handed the note over to Lily.

"I don't think I should." Lily said, taking a step back.

"I don't know what to do about it!" Bianca whispered. "And she doesn't have to know that you read it. I won't tell her."

"She got really upset when she found out _you_ read it," Savanna said. "And you're her best friend."

"And she's my best friend," Bianca said. "And someone sent her this note, and I don't know how to help her."

"You're not making any sense, Bee." Mary said.

"Just read it." Bianca said, holding the note out to Lily. "Before she gets out of the bathroom." Lily checked the door and took the note from Bianca.

"Lily," Savanna said in a warning tone. "I really don't think this is a good idea."

Lily gave her a helpless look and looked down at the note. Bianca was right, it was very short and before she had even started reading it, one word stood out in particular.

_Stop polluting the school with your filth, Mudblood. And watch your back. _

Lily was shocked. She looked up at Bianca whose eyes were just as wide as her own. She crinkled the parchment back up and tossed it back into Arianna's trunk, making sure to close the lid quietly.

"We have to tell someone?" Bianca asked.

"What did it say, Lily?" Mary asked.

"That word- People can't just get away with saying things like that." Bianca sighed. "But she wouldn't listen to me. I think she was embarrassed that I saw it because it bothers her. She pretends it doesn't, but it does."

"What are you talking about?" Mary asked. Lily could tell she was starting to get frustrated. Savanna now had her arms crossed and was trying to look as though she disapproved still.

Before Bianca or Lily could answer Mary, the bathroom door opened. Arianna was standing with her hands on her hips and with her lips pressed together in a thin line. "Talking about me?" She asked.

"No." Bianca said quickly.

"Yes you were." She said, walking into the room.

"You should tell, Professor McGonagall." Lily said. Arianna's eyes flashed dangerously.

"You read it too?"

"Is that the only one?" Lily asked, not wasting time on feeling ashamed. "Are there others?"

"It's none of your business." Arianna snapped. "I can take care of myself."

"I think you need to tell McGonagall." Lily repeated. "If you don't, you are letting them get away with it."

"If I do tell, then they win." Arianna said, her voice cracking. "Then they know they got to me and they win."

"What if you aren't the only person that's getting these notes?" Lily said. "What if someone else is feeling just as scared and helpless as you are? If you tell McGonagall and she puts a stop to it, then they don't have to feel like this anymore either."

"I hate being Muggle born." Arianna sighed, tears trickling down her face. "It's supposed to be all wonderful, being a witch I mean. But every time I turn round, someone's dead because they don't have magical parents." She wiped her face and looked up at Lily. "I'm scared of staying here," She said quietly. "But I'm terrified of going home."

"I'll go to McGonagall with you." Lily said, not knowing what else to say. "Would you like that?" Arianna nodded. Lily walked over to the girl's trunk and retrieved the note. "There's no point in waiting." Arianna sighed.

"I suppose not."

oOoOo

A few days into May, Sirius found himself pretending to read "The Art of Transforming," as he flipped through its pages, because he couldn't possibly be bothered to actually read the book now. Though he supposed he was wasting an opportunity that rarely presented itself. The Marauders were taking advantage of their empty dormitory by working on their secret projects. Remus and Peter were adding the second floor to the map and James was digging under his bed looking for more books on becoming animagi.

Checking to make sure that all three of the others weren't looking, Sirius reached into his pocket and withdrew a very worn piece of parchment that had gone soft at the folds from Sirius constantly folding and unfolding it.

It was a letter from his Uncle Alfred inviting Regulus and Sirius out to his estate for the first two weeks of summer. His uncle had written that he wanted to ask Sirius's opinion first and if it was something that Sirius wanted to do and then he would work out the arrangements with his father.

Sirius had owled him back almost immediately after he had received the letter and said that he would love to stay with him for the whole summer if that was alright with him.

Alfred Black was Sirius's mother's older brother who had never married. He lived alone in a rather stately country manor that he tried his best to avoid by traveling to places all around the world. Sirius and Regulus had always enjoyed visiting him but didn't get to very often because he was almost never at home. Though they both loved their Uncle dearly because, on returning to England, he would always stop by number twelve, Grimmauld place and give them gifts. He was loud and jolly, the polar opposite of Wallenberg who was quiet and stern. He sent the boys Quidditch tickets, sweet treats and always made sure to spoil them at holidays.

Needless to say, the prospect of spending any amount of time with his uncle made Sirius instantly happy.

And what made the prospective trip even better, was that Regulus was going to be there with him. If they went home for the summer, they wouldn't get to spend any time alone together, their mother would be sure to keep them apart so Sirius didn't 'spoil' Regulus with pro-Muggle born jargon or remind him that it was all right to be a decent human being. If they were both at their uncle's though, their mother wouldn't be around to mess up things for them.

Sirius didn't realize it until he read through his uncle's letter a few times, but he really missed Regulus. He couldn't wait to get his brother alone and show him the letter. Regulus would be just as excited as he was.

"What do you have there?" James asked, walking back over to the windowsill with a few new books.

"Nothing." Sirius said, carefully folding the parchment and placing it back in his pocket.

"Rubbish." James said. "What is it?"

"It's just a letter." Sirius said. "My uncle invited me and Reg out to his place this summer."

"When?" James asked, a slight crease in his brow. "My parents already got us all tickets to see the Tornados play in August."

"All of us?" Peter asked, looking up at James from his place on the floor.

"All of us." James said, smiling widely. "So I hope you'll be able to get away from your family this summer."

"I will." Peter promised.

"You too, Remus." James said. "I checked the date of the game, you should have no problem by then."

"I'll have to ask my parents." Remus said, smiling appreciatively at James.

"Sirius?"

"My uncle invited us for the first two weeks of July." He said. "I'll be able to come cheer for the bloody Tornados."

"Good, and don't insult one of my favorite teams." James said.

"I wouldn't have to if you'd picked good teams to worship." James punched him in the arm and then handed him another book.

"Now, tell me about your Uncle." He said to Sirius.

"He's great." Sirius said earnestly. "He's nothing like my Uncle Cygnus or my dad or anyone else in the family to be honest. He's great. He always gives the best presents and he likes to make jokes. I don't know, he's the only normal person I'm related to."

"You like him then?"

Sirius nodded. "And two weeks with Reg, and no mum will be good too. She's been keen on keeping us separated for a while now, which she won't be able to do if we aren't at home." He looked at James. "She really doesn't like me, James."

James didn't know what that felt like, or what to say, so it got uncomfortably quiet for a moment. Then James said the only thing that he could think of to make Sirius feel any better. "When you get back from your uncle's, you can come over to my house if you want."

"Thanks." Sirius said.

"You can bring Reg too." James said. "It's more fun to watch him take the mickey out of you than to do it myself."

"You're such a good friend." Sirius said sarcastically.

"I know." James said smugly. "Now, you read through that book and see if you can find a simple set of instructions on how to do this."

"There is nothing simple about becoming an animagus." Sirius laughed.

"I know," James sighed. "But I need a list. Something that I can follow step-by-step." He opened a book and flipped to a seemingly random page. "But the more books I look at, the more I think I'll have to write one myself."

"Maybe we can check your library this summer." Sirius said. "Your dad really likes transfigurations, doesn't he?" James nodded.

"I've already thought of that. I'm not sure though, with me as a son my parents might have got rid of those books."

"Rightfully so too." Remus said. "I mean, if they knew what you were up to."

"Don't." Sirius and James said at the same time. "We want to help you."

"And we're doing this no matter how many times you tell us we don't have to."

"You could get into a lot of trouble." Remus said. "And that would be on my conscious."

"We're not going to get caught, Remus." James said.

"We never do." Sirius added.

"You two always get caught." Peter said.

"Not if we don't want to." James said. Remus sighed and went back to the map.

"I give up." He muttered.

"It's about time." Sirius laughed.

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><p><strong>AN: I really liked parts of this chapter, and I hope you did too! Leave me a review, yeah?<strong>

**And now to the reviews!**

**Patronus-Charm- I try and update at least once a week, but that hasn't happened in the past. I never go a whole month without updating, but I've been pretty good lately at updating frequently. So, that's not a concrete answer, but that's what I've got for you. Thank you for the review though and for reading my story! :)**

**xXSectumsempraXx- It was really good to hear from you again because I thought I had lost you! Thank you for reviewing and sticking with me. As for your Doctor Who question, I really like season four. I don't have a favorite episode, I just like season four. Yep. And the 10th doctor is my favorite. I love David Tennet. Though the 11th doctor is pretty great too. And I wish the 9th doctor had another season. I just really love Doctor Who, okay?**


	32. Chapter Thirty-Two: Professor's Potion

**AN: Only one chapter left after this! I'm very excited. This chapter is really a filler and lead up chapter, the next chapter will wrap up all the loose ends and all that good stuff. I hope you like it, I personally like the Regulus and Sirius part of this chapter. :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirty-Two: The Professor's Potion<strong>

As it turns out, Arianna wasn't the only Muggle born receiving notes like the one Bianca had found in her friend's trunk. After Lily took Arianna, and the offending slip of parchment, to Professor McGonagall, the Professor called other Muggle born students to her office to talk to each of them.

"Why didn't you tell, McGonagall?" Lily asked Emery Brown, after she saw the seventh year girl leaving McGonagall's office. Lily was standing near the line of Muggle born students that McGonagall had called down, talking to them about the notes they had received.

"I supposed they were just from some Slytherins who were still annoyed that we had won the Quidditch cup." She shrugged. "I really didn't think twice about them."

Lily had yet to find another Muggle born student that had not received a threatening note. And while she was glad that she hadn't, she didn't know what it meant. Everyone knew she was a Muggle born.

"You're not really upset about this are you?" Arianna asked. "You don't _want_ a note, do you?"

"No." Lily said. "Of course I don't, I just don't know why I'm the only Muggle born in the school to not get one."

"I guess it's a little strange." Arianna allowed. "I still can't believe that all these people were getting notes, and that I was the first to tell anyone."

"That's not absolutely true." The second year Hufflepuff, Eustace Green said. He was standing in line close to Lily and Arianna. "I told Professor Sprout. She said that it was awful, but there was nothing she could do about it."

"I'm glad McGonagall didn't say that." Arianna said, looking down at her feet. "The note scared me."

"When did you get yours?" Eustace asked.

"A few days ago." She said.

"I got my first one about a week ago." He crossed his arms. "It was the Slytherins. You don't see any of them queuing with us."

"There aren't any Muggle borns in Slytherin." Lily said.

"I suppose not." Eustace allowed. "I think they started with the Hufflepuff house. I don't want to say anything bad about my house, but we were the least likely to retaliate. Emery shrugged it off because she's on the Quidditch team and is probably used to stuff like that." Eustace then looked at Arianna. "But look at you. You came down here right away."

"It had nothing to do with my house." Arianna said, blushing.

"Of course it did." Eustace said. "Gryffindors are brave, aren't they? Telling McGonagall was brave."

"Thanks." Arianna said. "But it was Lily's doing. I wasn't going to tell anyone."

"I thought you didn't get a note."

"I didn't." Lily said. "But I saw Arianna's." She turned to the girl. "You would have told McGonagall eventually. I just pushed you into doing it sooner."

"Maybe." Arianna shrugged. "I really just wanted to forget about it."

"Nobody wants to think about it." Eustace sighed. Lily got the feeling that he wasn't talking about the notes. Last year in November, there had been no attacks, no sightings of raiders, and then, before anyone could blink, 16 people had been murdered and one of them had been Eustace's mum. "I guess it doesn't matter much why you told." Eustace said. "You did, that's what's important." The line moved as another student entered McGonagall's office and Eustace moved along with it.

"We should go back to the common room." Lily said. "We shouldn't be blocking the corridors." Arianna nodded and the two girls walked back to the Gryffindor tower.

oOoOo

Sirius entered the library with his bag full of books that James had deemed useless. He had pulled the short straw and had to return them. James had told him to wait until after lights out and use the cloak, but Sirius didn't want to wait. So, he was risking detention to return books. He laughed to himself as he walked over to the Magical Creatures section of the library.

He was pulling the last book out of his bag and placing it on what he thought was the correct shelf when he heard someone whisper his name.

"Sirius?" He turned and was a bit surprised to see his brother standing at the end of the aisle.

"Reg, what are you doing here?"

"Why do people keep asking me that?" Regulus laughed. "I'm studying." He held up his potions textbook.

"I don't mean what are you doing in the library," Sirius sighed. "I mean, what are you doing in this section of the library?"

"Just walking around a bit while I read." Regulus shrugged. "You?"

"Settling a bet with James." Sirius said, taking a step away from the werewolf section.

"Oh." Regulus said, not really looking all that interested. "See you round." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" He ran up to Regulus and turned him around to face him. "Did Uncle Alfred send you a letter?" He asked.

"No, why?"

"He sent me one." Sirius said, smiling widely. "He's invited us up to his house for the first two weeks of summer."

"Really?" Regulus looked mildly excited. "That'll be nice, I suppose."

"You suppose?" Sirius laughed. "Reg, he didn't invite everyone, just you and me."

"Really?" Regulus asked. "Just me and you?"

"Just you and me."

"No Bella, or Cissy?"

"Nope."

"No mum?"

"Definitely not." Regulus was smiling now as well.

"He said he's going to arrange it with mum and he'll pick us up from the station." Sirius said, pulling out the letter that his owl had brought him this morning. "Two whole weeks."

"That's going to be-"

"Wicked." Sirius smirked. "Do you remember the last time we were there?"

"Of course I do! You pushed me into a pixie infested curtain and I spent the next two days mostly unconscious."

"I didn't know that they were poisonous." Sirius laughed. "And you got me back."

"That was an accident." Regulus said. "I really did just lose my balance."

"Well I fell into the lake regardless. Mum was so angry that I had ruined my dress robes."

"I know! And Aunt Isla's face! I thought she was going to keel over right there!" The boys laughed loudly, forgetting that they were in a library and supposed to be quiet.

"Get out!" Madam Pince said, coming up behind them and shooing them away. "Out! Out!"

"We're going." Sirius said, grabbing Regulus's arm and pulling him towards the door. "I can't wait until the holidays." He said, once they were in the corridor.

"I never thought I'd hear you say that." Regulus laughed.

oOoOo

"I can't believe that the year is almost over." Savanna said, resting her head on her History of Magic textbook. They had been in the library for over two hours.

"And we can't even be excited about it because we have exams to worry about." Mary sighed. "Can't we just skip exams?"

"I don't think so." Lily said, pulling another sheet of parchment from her bag. She was re-writing all of her notes she had taken in History of Magic and double[-]checking the facts in her textbook.

"This class is so dull." Savanna lifted her head up and then rested it on her hand. "How do you do it, Lily?"

"Do what?"

"Remember all of these dates and names?" Savanna said. "I get them all jumbled together." Lily shrugged, knowing that Savanna didn't really want advice on how to pass History of Magic, she just wanted to complain about it. "I mean, does it really matter how many times Wanda the Weird was burned at the stake?"

"Wendelin." Lily corrected. "And it does if you want to pass."

"Can't we just go outside?" Mary asked, looking out a window. "Look how nice the weather is."

"And it's warm too." Savanna said. "We could go and sit by the lake. Girls of our age should not be stuck inside in the middle of May, especially when the sun is shining."

"I don't mind if we study outside." Lily said, marking her place in her book and standing up. Savanna and Mary groaned.

"Can't we take a break, Lily?" Mary asked. "Please?"

"We've been studying forever." Savanna said. "My brain stopped working almost an hour ago."

"Fine." Lily sighed. "But I really do need to finish this chapter." She said, looking down at her notes. "I'll meet you down by the lake in a half hour." She said, sitting back down. "And I won't talk about school work at all."

"Promise?" Mary asked, wasting no time in jumping off the uncomfortable wooden chair and throwing all of her things into her bag.

"I promise." Lily laughed. "Now shoo!"

"Thank you, Lily." Savanna said. When the girls had gathered all of their school things and left the library, Lily sighed. She really didn't want to spend the next half hour studying the 1687 goblin rebellion. She would much rather join her friends outside, but she wanted to pass her exams, so she dipped her quill in her inkwell and got back to work.

No more than ten minutes after Savanna and Mary had left, someone new slid onto Mary's vacated seat. "What are you working on?"

Lily jumped, not having noticed the new comer sooner. "Oh, Sev." She said, glancing up at the Slytherin's amused expression. "You scared me."

"I thought Gryffindors are supposed to be brave." He teased, and because that was the first time he had mentioned her house without sounding bitter or upset, Lily laughed.

"You have to give us a warning." Lily said, still smiling. "Being brave round the clock gets to be exhausting."

"I suppose." He craned his neck to see what she was working on and then shook his head. "Lily, why are you even bothering? You already know all that stuff."

It was now Lily's turn to shake her head. "I do not. Honestly, you're as bad as Mary and Savanna." He scrunched up his nose at that comparison, but she was looking back down at her notes.

"You didn't get any of those notes, did you? The ones that were going to Muggle borns?" Severus asked quite suddenly. Lily looked up at him, surprised that he had brought it up.

"No. Why?"

"I was just curious." Severus said, looking pleased. "It was stupid anyway. Sending out notes."

"Yes, it was." She didn't know what to make of him. She had asked him about the Raiders and he had been apathetic, but Muggle borns in the school getting offensive notes and that upsets him? "Professor McGonagall will work it all out though. She'll put a stop to it."

"It won't be hard for her to work out who it was." Severus said, rolling his eyes. "They haven't stopped bragging about it since they sent the first note."

"What do you mean?" Severus looked up at her and realized his mistake. "You know who wrote the notes? You've known since Eustace got a note?"

"Who's Eustace?" Severus asked, in a weak attempt to change the subject.

"One of the first Hufflepuffs to get a note. First the Hufflepuffs, then the Ravenclaws, and then the Gryffindors. You've known about the notes from the beginning?" She asked again.

"No, not exactly." He said. "I don't know who _wrote_ them." He said.

"What do you know? Why didn't you tell a professor?"

"I couldn't!" Severus said. "I told them not to send _you_ any notes." He added quietly.

"What do you mean you couldn't?" Lily asked, ignoring the rest of what he had said.

"They would have known it was me." He said. "Or they would have worked out if was me. And it's not as if they were actually hurting anyone. They were just messing round, they were just being stupid."

"Do you know how scared, Arianna was?" Severus had no clue who Arianna was, but he didn't think now was the time to ask. "She was terrified! She was even more afraid after we found the note! You could have prevented her from ever getting the note in the first place."

"I would have been a snitch if I told." He said.

"So?"

"I'm not you, Lily." He said somewhat bitterly. "I can't do something just because it's the right thing to do."

"Why not? People could have got hurt, Sev."

"Look," He said, putting both hands on the table and looking her in the eyes. "It was just some prats being stupid. I knew they weren't going to act on any of the threats. I'm sorry your friend was scared, but I would have been in a lot of trouble if I had told on them but," He put his hand up when she tried to protest. "If I thought that they were going to actually hurt anyone, I would have told."

Lily bit her lip and tried to stop herself from lashing out at him. He looked sincere, but that wasn't enough for her. "You told them not to send me any notes?" Lily asked.

"Yes." Severus said.

"Why?"

"You're my friend." He said, simply.

"Why didn't you tell them not to send them to anyone?"

"They wouldn't have listened to me, Lily."

She sighed. "Okay."

"I'm sorry." He said, half-heartedly. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know." Lily said, looking down at her notes. "It's alright."

Severus pulled out his Defense book and started working on revising chapter four and Lily continued to copy her notes on the goblin rebellion.

She knew he didn't see things the way she did. She knew that he had to live with the Slytherins and couldn't get them upset with him, but she felt like this issue was fairly black and white. What his housemates had done was wrong, the raids going on outside the castle walls made the notes even more wrong.

She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. Sev was her best friend. She had known him for four years, she _knew_ that his moral compass wasn't as acute as hers was. She _knew_ that he, for whatever reason, didn't seem to think that the word 'Mudblood' was as vulgar as she and many others did. But he was right, no one had got hurt, he had known that the note senders never had any intention of hurting anyone. Honestly, it was just some stupid prats being thick. It wasn't _really_ a big deal.

And that's what she spent the next fifteen minutes convincing herself. Then she said goodbye to Severus and went to find Mary and Savanna by the lake, where she didn't mention anything about classes or the conversation she had just had with her best friend.

oOoOo

James had waited patiently until all of his roommates had fallen asleep. Then he waited another half an hour just to be sure. By the time he thought it safe to get up, it was close to one o'clock in the morning. Not feeling at all drowsy, despite the early hour, James quietly crawled out of bed as quickly as he could and pulled the invisibility cloak and his wand out from under his pillow. He threw the invisibility cloak around him and tip-toed across the room, taking a full minute to open the door to avoid having the hinges creak.

When he finally had the door closed, he sighed with relief. He made quick work of the stairs but paused on the last step. He heard their voices before he saw them.

"It's getting late." A girl sighed. "And I have transfigurations tomorrow morning."

"And?" A boy whispered.

"I don't think Professor McGonagall will appreciate me falling asleep in class."

"Just a few more minutes." James could only see the back of their heads. They were sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, their backs were to the porthole. He could sneak past them and they wouldn't notice anything except perhaps the porthole opening on its own.

James sneaked across the room. He was almost to the portrait when it opened, letting Emery Brown and Cleo Downing into the common room.

"Erg!" Cleo said, upon seeing the couple on the couch. "Don't make us go get Marlene." She said, covering her eyes.

"You can't go and get Marlene." The boy said. "She would give you detention for just getting in."

"She's too late." Emery said. "McGonagall already caught us."

"What were you doing anyway?" The girl on the couch asked.

James was curious as to what the girls had been doing out, but the portrait was closing and he didn't think he could fool Emery and Cleo as easily as he could have fooled the two on the couch. So, after promising himself that he was going to ask them about it in the morning, he slipped out the porthole and into the deserted corridor.

He had been planning this all week. Ever since he thought he had seen Professor Seresin taking potion ingredients from the potions classroom. It had been driving him crazy, sitting through Defense class, knowing that Seresin was up to something and not being able to investigate.

He hadn't told Sirius, Remus or Peter of his plans because all of the boys were pretty fed up with his theories about Seresin. Seresin had taken to giving all four of them 'O's on almost every assignment and James thought it was to make them like him more. That and his new jovial manner had worked on the other boys, but James hadn't been as easily swayed.

He had almost told Lily, but thought better of it. She may believe him about Seresin, but she wasn't one to break the rules and James was about to break about a hundred rules. But he had to work out what Seresin was up to. He felt like he was the only person in the whole school that even suspected him of anything, except for Lily. But he was the only one that was going to do something about it.

Rounding the first corner, he started to wish that they had their map of the school finished. It would be really nice to know where Filch was right about now. And McGonagall, if she had caught Cleo and Emery, then she was up and about somewhere. He did have his invisibility cloak, so even if he did see a teacher, they wouldn't see him, but it would be nice to have a warning.

He made his way down to the defense classroom without running into anyone. Luckily, the door wasn't locked and he was able to get inside quickly. He took out his wand and muttered a spell he had looked up just for this occasion, "_Homenum revelio_," which told him he was along in the room. Then he took off his cloak and locked the door. He knew that the chances of the potion being in the classroom were extremely thin, but maybe the Professor's office in the back of the room.

Tucking the cloak into his pocket and keeping his wand out, he sneaked through the dim classroom, the only light came from a large window on the left wall. When he tried to pull the office door open, he found that it was locked. He tried _Alohomora _but it didn't work. That was the only charm James knew that unlocked doors. He leant back against a desk and looked around.

The door had a keyhole underneath the handle. If he could find something small enough to fit into the keyhole, maybe he could pick the lock. He had never tried to pick a lock before, but he wasn't going to leave without trying. He went over to a cupboard behind the Professor's desk that James knew housed old textbooks and spare parchment. He opened the cupboard, hoping to find something that would fit in the keyhole.

He moved aside a stack of old books on the top shelf and reached his hand into a pile of crushed up parchment, he felt around but all he felt was more parchment. He moved to another shelf and repeated this. Moving the books and digging through the parchment. But that was all that was in the cupboard, books and parchment.

As he closed the cupboard, he sighed. What was he going to do now? He turned around and looked at Seresin's desk. The key was probably in the desk somewhere, he could just look around.

James had already broken into the Defense classroom, attempted to break into the office, what was a desk in the grand scheme of things. If he did get caught, it would just be one more thing.

So, he walked over to the desk and opened the first drawer on the left side. It had a bottle of ink, a few new quills and three scrolls of parchment. James moved aside the parchment, but there was nothing under it. He had just slid the door closed when he heard footsteps coming from the corridor. James whipped the invisibility cloak out of his pocket and wrapped it around him just as the door of the classroom opened.

"I don't remember locking the door." Seresin muttered, shuffling into the room. He was levitating a cauldron in front of him and was holding a book and some parchment in his hands. He walked straight back to the office, moved the book and parchment into his wand hand, shuffle though his pocket for a moment and produced a key, which he then used to unlock the office door.

James couldn't believe what was happening. It was either extremely good luck, or extremely bad luck, depending on whether he got caught or not. He edged closer to the office, which Seresin had just disappeared into. James got to the edge of the door when light steamed out of the room. He jumped back before he remembered that he was invisible whether it was light or dark.

He crept into the room and watched Seresin scramble around it. He had the book open on a desk, and the cauldron was now set up over a flame and was being magically stirred. James didn't dare move out of the doorway, he was afraid to make the slightest noise.

Seresin opened a drawer in the back of the room and pulled out the bottles that James had seen him take from Slughorn's desk. He walked over to the cauldron and opened the first bottle and began slicing up the contents.

James had to work out what Seresin was making, and he couldn't wait much longer, the longer he stayed, the greater his chances of being caught.

With this in mind, James took a small, slow step towards the cauldron in the middle of the room. Then another small step, making sure to take a path that would put him in front of Seresin and on the other side of the table, that way if the Professor moved suddenly, he wouldn't run into the invisible James.

James finally was close enough that he could feel the heat emanating from the flame under the caldron. He leaned over the desk and looked at the book that Seresin kept glancing at. It was a potions book. At the top of the page, circled a few times, was the name of the potion. _Velox Mors._ It wasn't a potion that James had ever heard of and he didn't know what it meant, so he leaned further over the table. _Brings a quick death to any who consumes. _

James jumped back, his feet landing on the floor too hard in his hurry to distance himself from the poison. He straightened himself up and held his breath while Seresin's eyes darted around the room, looking for the source of the noise.

"You're paranoid, Seresin." He muttered. "There's no one here. No one's even awake right now. Just hurry up so you can go back to bed."

James didn't bother walking slowly, he only walked slow enough that his shoes didn't make any noise against the floor. When he reached the classroom door, he looked over his shoulder once, opened the door as quickly and as quietly as he could and then closed it behind him.

Once in the corridor, he started running.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, tell me what you think. You're not going to have many chances left to do that. You don't even have to write much, just leave me a smiley face if you liked it. I love getting any sort of feed back. <strong>


	33. Chapter Thirty-Three: Final Explination

**AN: This is it. The last chapter... :O**

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirty-Three: A Final Explanation<strong>

James' heart was racing wildly as he raced down the corridor. The invisibility cloak had been forgotten in his haste and was probably in a heap on the floor back in the corridor outside the Defense classroom.

After all his theorizing, James had never truly believed that Seresin was up to something this awful. After everything he had gone through in his head, all the possibilities, this had never come up, not once. Seresin was making a _poison_. A _lethal _poison. And the odds of him making it just for fun were very slim.

He reached the gargoyles that guarded Dumbledore's office.

"It's an emergency!" James shouted at them. "Let me up!" They didn't move. "Urgh! Ice mice! Chocolate droobles! Blood lollies! Pumpkin Pasty! Bert-" But the gargoyles started to move, revealing a spiral staircase. James jumped on it just as it sprung into life.

When the stairs reached the headmaster's office door, James started banging his fists on it. "Professor Dumbledore! Professor Dumbledore!" This continued for about five minutes before the door opened quite suddenly and James fell into the room. He caught his balance and spun round to face the headmaster. Professor Dumbledore was dressed in a nightshirt that went down to his mid-calf and on his feet he wore fluffy, powder blue slippers. It wasn't until just now that James remembered that it was quite early in the morning.

"Are you alright?" Dumbledore asked, closing the office door and moving over to his desk. He waved his wand and conjured a chair for James. "Is someone hurt?" Dumbledore's voice wasn't angry or upset, but it had a certain edge to it. James thought he should start talking soon.

"No," James said, falling into the chair. "Nobody is hurt, everyone's alright." Dumbledore seemed to relax. Then he raised his eyebrows.

"I hope this is not a social visit then." He said. "If it is, I have to say that it is most inconveniently timed."

"No, Professor." James said, quickly. "I'm sorry to have woken you up, but this is important."

"I would hope so."

"It's about Professor Seresin," James paused for a moment. He had just realized how much trouble he was going to be in. He had broken into a classroom, after lights out, gone through a professor's private things and then spied on a professor.

"Now, James," Dumbledore said softly, leaning forward on his desk. "We've talked about this. I am keeping an eye on Professor Seresin, and he has not, since you last came to me, done anything at all peculiar or strange."

"I know you think that, Professor." James said. He had to decide quickly where he was going to start in the story and how much he was going to tell. "Earlier this week, he supervised Professor Slughorn's class because he Slughorn was ill, and I saw Professor Seresin taking bottles off Professor Slughorn's desk and putting them into his bag. So, I thought he was probably making a potion. I decided to look for the potion, so I waited till after lights out and I went down to the Defense classroom, I was going to check the office, but the door was locked.

Then Professor Seresin walked into the classroom and he has a cauldron with him and a book, and he unlocked the office door and started working on some potion."

"James," Dumbledore said, lifting his hand up. "Professors are allowed to make potions at whatever time they so desire."

"I know," James said. "But I thought he was up to no good, so I looked at the page he had his book opened to. He was making _Velox Mors._" James was about to tell Professor Dumbledore what _Velox Mors_ did, but the look on the headmaster's face told James that he knew exactly what the potion did.

"James," Dumbledore said. "Are you certain?"

"Yes, Professor."

Dumbledore stood up and walked over to one of the portraits of old headmasters. "I need you to go and collect Professor Seresin for me, tell him that I need to speak with him immediately."

"Yes, of course." The old man said, before sliding out of his portrait.

Dumbledore did not sit back down in his chair but instead started pacing. He didn't say anything to James, nor did he look at him. James was starting to think that he had forgotten he was in the room when he stopped his pacing.

"I'm curious about something," He said, looking up at James.

"I know I broke a lot of rules," James said quickly, thinking that Dumbledore was going to question why he thought to take this matter into his own hands. "But I really did think he was up to something and no one seemed to be doing anything and I had to know. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about, James." Dumbledore said. "You did break a few rules, but I think I can overlook that."

"Oh."

"No, what I'm curious about is, how did you get into and out of the office without Professor Seresin seeing you?" James froze. It wouldn't be entirely awful for him to know that James possessed an invisibility cloak, he wouldn't take it away from him, would he? It was a family heirloom, and James' dad would be very angry if he had it confiscated.

James didn't need to answer though because there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Dumbledore said, looking up at the door.

Professor Seresin walked into the room calmly and eyed James. He looked like he knew he had been caught and he had accepted it. James even detected some relief in the older man's eyes. He reached his hand into his pocket, still holding James' gaze.

"I believe this is yours." He said in an eerily calm voice, pulling James' invisibility cloak out of his pocket and handing the shimmering material over to him.

"Ah," Dumbledore smiled. "A cloak of invisibility. A most useful device."

James nodded and took the cloak out of Seresin's hands.

"Professor," Dumbledore said, turning his gaze to Seresin. "You are aware that the _Velox Mors_ potion is illegal to brew."

And that's when James saw Professor Seresin, the stony faced, no nonsense teacher that he had met in the beginning of the year, break down sob like a child in front of the headmaster.

oOoOo

"What!" Sirius asked, spewing chunks of toast all over the table after James told the Marauders an abridged version of what had happened last night in Dumbledore's office. He had left out some things, like Seresin crying. He didn't think they needed to know that.

"You were right?" Remus asked, not hiding his complete bewilderment at all well.

"It was bound to happen eventually." James said, rolling his eyes.

"Why is Seresin still here then?" Peter asked, casting a shifty glance at the Defense Professor, who was indeed still here. He was sitting next to Dumbledore, looking a bit tired, but acting as though nothing unusual had transpired the night before.

"Dumbledore's promised to help him." James said. This statement was met with blank stares. "Oh, right." James set down his fork. "Seresin was planning on killing Dumbledore," He whispered, "But he didn't _want_ to. He came to Hogwarts this year hoping to get away from the raiders. He wanted to distance himself from them, and being close to Dumbledore seemed like a pretty good way to do that. But then his son, Nigel got in over his head and Seresin had to talk to the raiders to get them to let Nigel go. They didn't listen to Seresin and ended up killing Nigel."

"Okay," Remus said. "We knew most of that."

"Well, he got involved in helping the raiders get rid of Dumbledore because they kidnapped his wife and said that unless he did what they told him to, they were going to kill her as well. Seresin didn't want to lose his whole family, so he went along with it. They've been keeping her captive since January. A raider would come and meet Seresin once a month to deliver a letter from her to let him know that she was still alive." James looked up at the staff table. "Dumbledore can't act like he knows though, and we can't tell anyone, because if it gets out that Dumbledore is helping Seresin, the raiders will kill his wife. So until Dumbledore finds out where Seresin's wife is and makes sure she's safe, everything has to continue on as if nothing has changed."

"So," Sirius crinkled his brow. "Seresin isn't a raider."

"No, he never was." James said. "But his son, Nigel was."

"Was he the one who tried to kill Turnbull?" Sirius asked.

"Yes." James said. "Seresin knew that Nigel was beyond help after that, but he didn't stop trying."

"But trying to help Nigel," Remus said, "That's what got him involved?"

"Yes."

"And now Dumbledore's going to help him?" Peter asked.

"Yes." James said. He knew that the whole situation was a lot to take in and Dumbledore's willingness to help and completely trust a man that had admitted he was going to attempt to kill him didn't make a whole lot of sense. But when James was sitting in the office earlier this morning, and listening to Seresin talking, he believed him too. And when Dumbledore promised to help him, it had all seemed completely appropriate. He didn't know how to make his friends understand. "He was forced into doing something he didn't want to do. He's a good man." James finally said.

"He was going to kill Dumbledore." Sirius said.

"I know." James sighed. "But he didn't." They were quite for a minute.

"Did you get in trouble?" Peter asked. "For sneaking out after lights out?"

"No." James said, glad for the change of subject. Trying to get them to understand everything was making his head spin. He hadn't slept at all last night. "But Dumbledore knows about the invisibility cloak now." He sighed. "So, we'll have to be more careful next year. I don't think my dad would like it to much if we got it confiscated."

"This is insane." Remus said. "You were right about, Seresin."

"I was, wasn't I?" James asked. "Well, it just goes to show you, I'm always right."

oOoOo

"I am so glad that exams are over." Mary sighed, falling back onto her bed. It was now mid-June. The girls were still completely unaware of their Defense professor's situation as James had remained true to him promise, for the most part, and refrained from telling anyone except the Marauders. As for the rest of the Hogwarts students, the only thing they had had worried about for the last month was exams. "I did completely terribly, but I can't find it in me to care."

"You did not do terribly." Lily laughed. "You did very well." After all the studying Lily had made them do, the worst that anyone got was an 'A' which Mary had received for her History of Magic exam.

"Okay, so I didn't do badly." Mary said. "And my dad will probably be pleasantly surprised with all my E's. I even managed and 'O' in Charms."

"Yes and we have Lily to thank for our wonderful marks." Savanna said, falling onto the bed next to Mary. "And to think, next year's exams are going to be even harder."

"Ugh!" Lily and Mary groaned.

"Savanna!" Mary said, grabbing a pillow and tossing it at the brunette's head. "Why would you say that?"

"I was just pointing it out." Savanna laughed. "Nothing can upset me right now. Not even thoughts of next year exams." Lily shook her head.

"Come on." She said, pulling both of her friends off Mary's bed. "Let's go outside. We've been locked in the castle for too long."

"No arguments here." Mary said. "We can go watch people mess around with the Womping Willow."

"Who's idea was it to see who can get the closest?" Lily asked. "It's stupid and someone is going to get hurt."

"Benjy Fenwick broke his arm yesterday after the Potions exam. He told Madam Pomfrey that he fell down the stairs though." Savanna said. "It is a stupid game, but it should be fun to watch."

"I was going to see if I could do it." Mary said, glaring at her friends. "It's not stupid."

"Savanna just said that someone broke their arm doing it, Mary." Lily said. "It is stupid."

"Benjy Fenwick is stupid, the game is not." Mary said. "People get hurt far worse in Quidditch, that's not stupid, is it?"

"Well, no." Lily said.

"See! I'm right."

"Running towards a tree, while its branches are trying to kill you is stupid." Savanna said. "But, it's your funeral. If you want to arrive brutally maimed and unrecognizable after being murdered by a tree, who am I to stop you?"

"Exactly." Mary said.

The girls walked down to the grounds and settled down under a large tree near the edge of the lake, a nice clear view of the Whomping Willow before them. Lily was sitting with her legs crossed, leaning against the trunk with her bag propped against her knees.

"Well," She sighed, turning briefly towards Mary. "Go ahead and try. But I'm not going to watch." She said pulling that morning's edition of the Daily Prophet out of her bag. She hadn't read it yet, the morning had been a bit hectic. The girls had spent breakfast listing Jupiter's moons and the placement of constellations in an attempt to cram for their Astronomy exam.

"You don't have to watch." Mary said, pushing herself off the ground and brushing off her skirt. "I'm sure the tale of my success will reach back to you before I do."

"Or the tale of your death." Savanna said. "Be careful, Mary."

"Yes, of course." Mary said, brusquely. "You have no faith in me." She said quietly. Then she marched off towards the tree. Savanna sighed.

"I'm going to miss her."

"She was a good friend, wasn't she?"

"A little odd at times, but overall, she was pretty great." Savanna shook her head and laughed. Then she noticed the Prophet that Lily had, still rolled up, in her hands. "You worried about what it says?"

"No." Lily said. "If anything happened, we would have heard by now." She unrolled the paper and read the headlines on the front page.

**_Dragon Fury's _Song Reaches Number One Spot **

Lily flipped to the next page without reading the article. Dragon Fury was a good band, and their song was catchy, she had heard it about one hundred times since last week when it had come out. All the radio stations were playing the song at least four times an hour, but Lily didn't think this accomplishment warranted the front page of the Daily Prophet. The front page was reserved for more important things. Speeches made by the Minister of Magic, new legislation that was set to go before the Wizengamot, news on the Aurors' efforts to capture the raiders, not for some wizard rock band's stupid love song that had reached the top of the charts.

The rest of the paper was just as aggravating as the front page. Lily was glad that there had been no attacks, no reported murders or missing persons, but she still wanted news on what was happening. She still wanted to be informed on what the Minister's plans were. But it seemed to Lily that no one ever talked about the raiders unless they were running for election, or an attack had just happened.

"Savanna?" Lily rolled the paper back up and pushed it into her bag. "Do you know anyone in the Ministry?" Savanna looked up from her notebook which she had been doodling in.

"No." She said. "Well, I've met Mary's dad before at platform 9 and ¾, but that was just in passing. I don't actually know him. Why?"

"I was just curious." Lily said. "It doesn't seem like they're doing anything, the ministry I mean."

"About what? The raids?" Savanna asked. Lily nodded. "I'm sure they are."

"Well, I wish they would tell us _what_ they're doing." Lily said.

"That would be nice." Savanna said.

"Especially for me." Lily said. "I'm going home next week. Back to muggles and muggles and more muggles. There's no wizards to keep me informed on what's happening. I don't have an owl, so I can't order the Daily Prophet, you don't have an owl, Mary's not interested enough in politics to bother writing to me about them. I'll be stuck all summer without any news." She pushed her hair back and sighed. "I'll have Severus I suppose, but he doesn't like talking about the raids. I could always ask him if he gets the Prophet. I don't think he's object to letting me have it when he's done-"

"Lily," Savanna interrupted her, her face slightly pale. "I'm going home to muggles too." She said quietly.

Lily shook her head. "I know your mum is a muggle, but you'll have your dad. He's a wizard, he'll keep you informed." Savanna squirmed under Lily's gaze and started wringing her fingers anxiously and Lily suddenly felt very uncomfortable and she didn't know why.

"I'm going back to muggles." Savanna repeated. "I mean, my little sisters aren't muggles, but my mum is. And our neighbors and anyone who visits." She swallowed.

"But your dad, Savanna." Lily said. "He's a wizard."

"Yes, he is." Savanna said. "But I haven't seen him since I was eight years old."

"No," Lily said, stupidly contradicting Savanna. "You talk about him. He's a healer at St. Mungo's, he- he-" But now that Lily was thinking about it, that seemed to be the only thing Savanna had ever said about him.

"_My dad was a healer." She said off-handedly. _

"_Was?"_

"_Is. I mean he is a healer."_

That was months ago, when Professor Seresin had just come back to the school and had been injured. He had been lying about a toothache and Lily had asked Savanna how she knew.

"He was." Savanna shrugged. "I don't know where he is now, or what he's doing. It's just me, mum and the kids." She said. Lily didn't know what to say. "It's alright," Savanna said after a while. "I mean, it's not, but we're alright. Mum's got her restaurant and she's pretty used to spontaneous burst of magic by now. We're alright."

She looked at Savanna, who was still looking down at her hands, and edged closer to her. She put her arms around her and pulled her close, Savanna leaned into her and chuckled. "Really, Lily. I'm okay."

"I know." Lily said.

"Let's talk about something else. Are you doing anything special over the holidays?" Lily kept one arm linked through Savanna's as she pulled away and smiled.

"I'm supposed to visit my grandmother in Leyton. Other than that, I'll be at home. I'm not looking forward to either."

"You don't like your Grandmother?"

"We haven't been getting on lately." Lily sighed. "Tuney's been feeding her lies."

"Well, you should come visit me sometime." Savanna said. "Otherwise I've just got my sisters to keep me company, and as much as I love them…" She trailed off and Lily laughed.

"I would like that. I want to meet your sisters, and eat something your mum made that's fresh. That sounds heavenly."

Savanna laughed. "You and Mary have a weird obsession with my mum's cooking."

"Your mum's a good cook." Lily shrugged.

"Guess what I did!" Mary said, running up to the tree. Her face was flushed and she had a thin scratch along her right cheek.

"Kissed the giant squid?" Lily said.

"Ew." Mary said. "No. I touched the tree! I was the first one to do it!" She looked proud of herself. "And I've got a battle scar!"

"You've got a cut on your cheek." Savanna said.

"And some sort of brain malfunction as well." Lily laughed.

"Well done though, I suppose."

"Gee, thanks a ton."

oOoOo

"So is it easier at home?" Peter asked, as he slid into the seat next to Remus. The Marauders were settling into the last compartment on the Hogwarts Express. "The full moons I mean." Remus shook his head.

"It's easier here at school. Madam Pomfrey's here. My dad's pretty good at healing charms, but we don't have any potions at home."

"You could get some from St. Mungo's." James said, sliding the compartment door closed and flipping the latch down to lock it.

"Yes," Remus said, looking down at his feet. He hadn't felt this uncomfortable around his friends in a while. "But the potions are fairly expensive."

"Oh." James said, running a hand through his hair.

"Remus is a werewolf, that's awful." Sirius said. "But what would be _really_ awful is if we didn't see each other all summer." James shoved him.

"I don't this that's worse." He said. But Remus was laughing so he let it go. "And I already told you that you are all coming over to my house in August for the Tornado's game."

"Yes, but that's on, what? August 11th? That would leave me stuck in my house for almost a whole month."

"Sirius," James sighed. "I already told you to come over whenever you want."

"No you didn't."

"Sirius, you can come over whenever you want."

"Thanks, mate!"

"What about me and Peter?" Remus asked.

"You two can come over too." James said. "I don't mind, and we've got room."

"Loads of room." Sirius said.

"I expect all of you to come over a lot, my house is dead boring when I'm home alone. Especially now that mum's working again."

"I'm not supposed to visit my cousins until the end of August."

"Same cousins as last year?" Remus asked.

"Nah, these cousins are in France. And one of them's starting school next year."

"They've got names?"

"I can't remember them." Peter shrugged. "I haven't seen them since I was four."

"I know all my cousins' names." James said. "But that's only because I was forced to memorise my entire family tree when I was seven."

"Me as well." Sirius said. "I also speak French."

"German." James said. "Some pure blood traditions are just odd."

"Like learning how to dance?" Sirius asked.

"Or how to properly hold a fork."

"It's like you two are from a different time." Remus said. "Did you both have to go to etiquette school?"

"The wizard equivalent." Sirius said. "Our parents, or relatives teach you though."

"No," James shook his head. "I actually went to classes with other kids. Coral Green, Benjy Fenwick, Yvette St. Richardson and Kyle Wilkes were in my class. It was at some old ladies' house. Kyle was a prat back then as well."

"Okay," Sirius said. "If you're from the noble house of Black and your parents look down upon everyone that isn't a Black, then you're taught at home."

The boys eventually got out exploding snap, making normal conversation a bit difficult. A few hours later they were interrupted by a knock on the door. James leaned back and lifted the latch letting Frank Longbottom and Eustace Green into the compartment.

"Frank. Eustace." Sirius said, without looking up from his hand. It was James' turn, but that didn't mean that Sirius was safe just yet. Suddenly there was a pop and Remus yelped, dropping his cards.

"I hate this game." He said, checking to make sure he still had both of his eyebrows.

"Tough luck, mate." Frank said. With the round finished, the boys put the cards away and got back into their seats. "What are you all doing this summer?"

"Visiting with family." Sirius said. "And each other."

"Going to as many Quidditch games as possible." James added. "Hopefully the world cup too."

"My dad's busy with the ministry, so I don't think I'm going to be as lucky." Frank said. "I'd love to go to the world cup."

"Owl me," James said. "I'm sure my dad wouldn't mind taking you along and he always takes off work for the world cup." Frank nodded. "But that's probably going to be my problem as well with other games. My parents are both pretty busy."

"Is it true your mum's running for head of the D.M.L.E?" Eustace asked.

"I'm not sure." James said. "That's what the Prophet's saying, but nobody has said anything to me. That doesn't really mean much though."

"We need a good head." Eustace said. "Fawley's heart is in the right place, but he's not getting anything done."

"That's what my dad was saying." Frank said.

"Isn't Moody head of the auror department?" Remus asked.

"Yes, but the head of the D.M.L.E has a lot of power over the auror department because the auror department is just a part of the D.M.L.E." Eustace explained.

"What is that?" Peter asked.

"The Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Frank said. "They control everything, the aurors, the hit wizards, obliviators and those blokes who make sure nobody messes around with muggle things. The only person they answer to is the Minister of Magic."

"I think my mum could do it." James said.

"Moody thinks so too." Frank said. "He said so, in yesterday's paper. He said if she's put in charge, things will get better a lot faster."

oOoOo

The train pulled up to the platform and Lily felt her stomach twist into knots. She hated that she felt this way about coming home. She was going to be here for the next two months, so she should feel somewhat excited about it. This was home, this was her family! She hugged Savanna and Mary goodbye, giving the former her phone number and making the latter promise to write. They left the compartment, but she dawdled a bit longer, slowly putting her things into her bag.

She looked out of the window and saw James and Sirius being greeted by an elderly couple. They look very happy to see both of them. The woman pulled them both into a hug and then kissed James' forehead.

She saw Mary run up to a younger wizard who picked her up and twirled her around. She assumed this was Mary's older brother.

Then she watched Savanna walk over to a group of small girls who were jumping around excitedly pointing at everything and looking completely in awe.

When she had watched almost everyone greet their family, she grabbed her trunk and started pulling it towards the door.

"Sorry," She said when she reached her own family. "My trunk opened and spilled."

"That's okay, dear." Her father said, pulling her into a hug.

"Where's Tuney?" She asked, looking around.

"She went over to a friend's house." Her mother said. "She's excited to see you but she wasn't feeling up to the long car ride." Lily smiled and nodded, but she knew that her mother was lying.

"Did you see that boy with the red trunk?" Her father asked as they started walking towards brick wall. "He had a plant with him, and it was singing!" Lily laughed at the look on her dad's face and hugged him again.

"I missed you." She said to both of her parents.

"We missed you too." Her mum said, running a hand through Lily's hair.

"It's good to be home." She said, and it almost wasn't a lie.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: In my notes for this chapter, I told myself to end on a happy note, and this is how it ended. It's not happy, but it's not completely not happy. You should all see the notes for this story. I actually referred to Dumbledore as Dman because most of it's written in short hand. My notes amuse me. I know that's sad. <strong>

**This was the longest chapter of the entire story I think. I thought it was going to be long than it is, but I think it's alright like this. *shrugs***

**Anyway, it's been fun. I'll be putting Year three up fairly soon. I've already got chapter one almost complete and you'll never guess who has the first line of dialog! But if you do guess right, I'll tell you. :)**

**Review! It's your last chance to tell me what you thought, and if you did take the time to read the entire story, thank you so much! Now tell me what you think, yeah? **


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